Recipe
Bibimbap
The great Korean rice bowl: separately seasoned vegetables, soy-marinated beef, a gochujang sauce, rice crisped in a hot oiled pan and a fried egg on top. Every component is simple - the magic is in keeping them separate until the first stir at the table.
Bibimbap takes about 75 minutes and makes 2 servings. Each serving has 1290 kcal.
- Preparation
- 45 minutes
- Cooking
- 30 minutes
- Total time
- 75 minutes
- Servings
- 2
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 1290 kcal
- Protein
- 55 g
- Carbohydrates
- 130 g
- Fat
- 60 g
Ingredients
- Beef (round or chuck)300 g
- Long-grain rice250 g
- Gochujang (Korean chili paste)3 tbsp
- Soy sauce4 tbsp
- Toasted sesame oil3 tbsp
- Sugar2 tsp
- Garlic4 cloves
- Carrot1 pc
- Cucumber1 pc
- Button mushrooms200 g
- Bean sprouts150 g
- Eggs2 pcs
- Sesame seeds1 tbsp
- Rice vinegar1 tsp
- Sunflower oil2 tbsp
- Salt1 pinch
Instructions
- 1
Slice the beef thinly and marinate it with 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil and half the grated garlic. Rest for 20 minutes while you prepare everything else.
- 2
Cook the rice with 375 ml of water: boil, cover, 12 minutes on the lowest heat, then rest. It should be on the drier side - wet rice will not crisp later.
- 3
Stir the sauce: gochujang, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, the remaining sugar, rice vinegar and a tablespoon of water, until pouring consistency.
- 4
Prepare each vegetable separately and season each one on its own - that is the point of bibimbap. Julienne the carrot and sauté 2 minutes with a pinch of salt; slice and sauté the mushrooms with a splash of soy sauce until browned; blanch the bean sprouts 2 minutes and dress with salt and a few drops of sesame oil; salt the julienned cucumber raw.
Tip: Do not season everything the same way or dump the vegetables into one pan - each pile should taste of itself. Keep them in separate mounds on a tray.
- 5
Wipe the pan, get it very hot and sear the beef with its marinade in a single layer until browned and glossy, 2–3 minutes. Set aside.
- 6
Fry the eggs in a little oil: crispy lacy edges, runny yolk. Set aside on a warm plate.
- 7
Now build the crust base: heat 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil and a teaspoon of sesame oil in a heavy pan (cast iron if you have it) until it shimmers.
- 8
Press the cooked rice into the pan in an even layer and leave it completely alone over medium-high heat for 5 minutes - no stirring - until you hear it crackle and the bottom turns deep golden.
Tip: The crackling sound is your doneness cue. If you stir now, you get fried rice instead of the crisp crust (nurungji) that makes bibimbap.
- 9
Working fast, arrange the vegetables and beef in neat wedges on the rice, each ingredient its own segment, and let it all heat through for 3 more minutes.
- 10
Slide the fried egg into the center, drizzle with the gochujang sauce, scatter sesame seeds over and bring the pan to the table. Stir everything together violently just before eating.
Cooking methods
On the stove
You will rotate one or two pans through many small jobs - wipe between vegetables, not wash. For the rice crust use your heaviest pan on medium-high; on gas, rotate the pan a quarter turn every minute so the crust colors evenly.
On induction
Vegetables at power 7, beef at 8–9, and the rice crust at 7 on a heavy pan - induction's even bottom heat builds a beautifully uniform crust. Resist maximum power; the crust needs 5 unhurried minutes.
Over an open fire
The crust step is glorious over embers in a cast-iron pan or Dutch oven - the traditional stone bowl (dolsot) works on the same principle. Prepare vegetables, beef and sauce at home, then crisp the rice and assemble over the fire.
Recipe questions
- How long does this recipe take?
- Plan for about 75 minutes from start to finish.
- How many servings does this recipe make?
- This recipe makes 2 servings.
- Can I cook this recipe on induction?
- Yes. Vegetables at power 7, beef at 8–9, and the rice crust at 7 on a heavy pan - induction's even bottom heat builds a beautifully uniform crust. Resist maximum power; the crust needs 5 unhurried minutes.
- Can I cook this recipe over an open fire?
- Yes. The crust step is glorious over embers in a cast-iron pan or Dutch oven - the traditional stone bowl (dolsot) works on the same principle. Prepare vegetables, beef and sauce at home, then crisp the rice and assemble over the fire.
In the app
Cooking the way it should feel
One step on screen, a timer that keeps going, and clear progress until the dish is done.
