This is one of my family’s favorite Korean food dishes. Bibimbap translates literally to “mixed rice” which I guess makes sense because it’s basically rice with a bunch of other stuff that you pile on top of it and mix it all in when you eat it.
In my neighborhood, there is a sweet Korean lady who is an amazing chef. One day, she showed me how to make bibimbap. This is an adaptation of her recipe. She actually makes her own Kimchi too, which is an art in and of itself. But, thankfully you can also buy some great Kimchi. We just recently discovered a great local Kimchi made by Short Mountain Cultures in Woodbury
This recipe pops up on our menu at home on a regular basis because it’s easy, healthy, and most importantly, absolutely delicious!
Ingredients:
4 servings
1 ½ cups raw brown rice
1 large zucchini
2 large carrots
1 container of fresh mushrooms
1 bunch fresh spinach
1 pound of lean beef sliced into thin strips (any lean cut will work)
2 Tbsp. Sugar
2-4 tbsp Soy sauce
2-4 tsp Kosher Salt
2 tsp Sesame seeds
1 tsp Sesame oil
Canola or Olive Oil
Toppings:
Kimchi
Gochujang (Korean sweet hot paste)
Sriracha
Sliced green onions
Sunny Side Up Egg
Prepare brown rice according to directions. I like to use a rice cooker. You can use an instant pot, but I haven’t quite mastered the art of the instant pot, so I’m sticking with my rice cooker. Plus I can leave it on at home while I make a last minute trip to the grocery store without worrying about blowing up the house.
Slice zucchini, carrots, and mushrooms into thick julienne strips about 2 inches long. This doesn’t have to be exact! Don’t mix them together yet. That doesn’t come until you’re ready to eat it. Plus it looks way cooler in the bowl when all the ingredients are separate! Add a couple of teaspoons of oil to a hot skillet and add carrots, then a little salt. Saute until desired doneness. Then repeat for zucchini and mushrooms, cooking separately, then transfer to separate bowls. Have I mentioned that you should keep these separate and not mix together?
Next, boil a large pot of water. Add about a tbsp of salt and then blanch the spinach for maybe 30 seconds or so until it wilts. Then scoop it out with a strainer and dunk immediately into ice water to stop the cooking. Let it sit in the ice bath while you cook the meat. Drain spinach and squeeze out excess water. Add sesame oil, soy sauce, and sesame seeds then stir.
Lastly, add a couple of tsp oil into a skillet and add the meat. Sprinkle about 3 tbsp soy sauce and 3 tbsp sugar on top of the meat and cook over medium heat until cooked through. You really can use any kind of beef with this. I’ve even used ground beef if I don’t have anything else to use. Add soy sauce and sugar and you could make shoe leather taste good. Seriously.
To assemble, place rice in individual serving bowls, then top with zucchini, mushrooms, carrots, spinach, meat, and kimchi all in neat little piles around the edge of the bowl. Then place a sunny side up egg on top in the middle. Add as much gochuchang and chopped green onions as you like. Then take a picture and put it on your instagram. It looks that good. Seriously. Then when you’re ready to eat it, take your chopsticks and break the egg yolk then mix everything together. Yes, now you can mix it together. Then dig in and enjoy!
Note – this is super fun to do with a group. Everyone can help chop the veges and take turns sauteing the veggies and meat. Then, set up the toppings buffet style and let everyone assemble their one. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
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