Bibimbap is a complete one-bowl meal. In Korean, bibimbap literally translates to mixed rice. While some components have become quite common (like spinach, carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, sprouts, & a gochujang sauce), what I love about this dish is that it can be a “kitchen sink” kind of meal. I love making this meal at the end of the week when I have bits of leftovers from other meals and don’t feel like doing a ton of cooking.
The recipe below takes you through each step to help build your bowl from scratch, but feel free to customize with your favorite vegetables, whatever you have on hand, or add in an additional protein like fish or poultry.
This recipe was developed for the Egg Nutrition Center.
MIND Foods: Whole grains, leafy green vegetables, more vegetables, olive oil
Bibimbap
Author: Maggie Moon, MS, RD
When made from scratch, this meal takes about a hour, but if using up leftover ingredients (highly recommended), this meal will come together super quickly.
Ingredients
- 4 Cups Cooked brown rice (or any whole grain rice)
- 10 oz. Spinach
- 1 T + 1.5 tsp Sesame oil, divided
- 1 tsp Olive oil
- 2 Cloves Garlic, minced, divided
- 1 Medium Zucchini
- 8 oz Mung bean sprouts
- 8 oz Shiitake mushrooms
- 1 Large Carrot
- 4 Large Eggs
- ⅓ Cup Gochujang
- 3 Tbsp Apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp Sesame seeds
- 5 oz Jeju radish (or daikon radish)
- 2 tsp Brown rice vinegar (or any light vinegar)
- 1 tsp Gochugaru (Korean red chili flakes; can sub crushed red pepper flakes)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Optional garnishes: green onion, sesame seeds, dried seaweed strips
Instructions
- Start the ingredients that take the longest. Make rice according to package directions, on the stove top, or in a rice cooker. Fill a medium pot about halfway full with water and heat until boiling.
- While the rice cooks and water boils, wash, dry, and prep all the produce. Peel the radish, and scrub or peel the carrots. Julienne cut the zucchini, carrot, and radish. Set zucchini in a paper-towel-lined fine mesh strainer. Squeeze and drain excess liquid after 10 minutes. Cut mushrooms into ¼” slices. Measure out all the other ingredients.
- Make the Jang. In a small bowl, mix together gochujang, apple cider vinegar, 1 Tbsp sesame seed oil, sesame seeds, and set aside for at least 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Make the Mu Saengchae. In a medium bowl, combine Jeju radish, brown rice vinegar, gochugaru, and half of minced garlic, tossing gently to combine. Adjust the amount of chili flakes, depending on how spicy you’d like it to be.
- Cook the vegetables. Once water is boiling, prepare a large ice bath in a large bowl with ice and water. Blanch carrots in boiling water for 1-3 minutes or until just slightly cooked, then transfer to ice bath and agitate for 30 seconds or until cool. Set aside to dry. Squeeze and drain excess liquid before adding to a small bowl with ¼ teaspoon of sesame oil. Season with salt to taste.
- In the boiling water used for the carrots, blanch the bean sprouts for 3-5 minutes until just cooked. Transfer to the ice bath and repeat remaining steps used for carrots.
- Heat a medium pan over medium-high heat with 1 tsp olive oil. Add spinach and other half of minced garlic. Season lightly with salt and pepper to taste. Sauté for 60-90 seconds or until wilted. Squeeze and drain excess liquid, cut into 2-3” pieces, toss with ¼ teaspoon of sesame oil, set aside.
- In the same pan used for the spinach (add a little olive oil if pan is dry), sauté the zucchini for 60-90 seconds or until just cooked. Squeeze and drain excess liquid, toss with ¼ teaspoon of sesame oil, set aside.
- In the same pan used for the spinach and zucchini, heat ½ teaspoon sesame oil until hot but not smoking. Add mushrooms, season with salt to taste. Sauté until browned, about 3-5 minutes. Drain excess liquid and set aside.
- Assemble your bowl of bibimbap and make eggs a la minute. Divide rice among 4 bowls. Arrange spinach, carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, and sprouts so they are each visible and lay from the center of the bowl out, like spokes of a wheel. In a non-stick pan, heat a little olive oil until hot but not smoking, then cook sunny-side up eggs until the tops of the egg whites are set, about 2-3 minutes. Top each bowl with a freshly cooked egg. Add any optional garnishes, if using. Enjoy!
