Authentic Bibimbap Under 1 Hour
Make authentic bibimbap at home in under an hour with tips, tool recommendations, and recipe variations. This Korean rice bowl features rice, sautéed vegetables, quick ground beef bulgogi, and a fried egg, topped with homemade bibimbap sauce.
Ingredients
Bibimbap sauce
- 4 tbsp Korean chili paste (gochujang)
- 1 tbsp Korean plum extract (maeshil cheong) optional
- 2 tbsp corn syrup or 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
For bibimbap
- 6 cup freshly cooked white rice
- 6 egg
- 1 lb ground beef bulgogi see not below for vegetarian or vegan option
Bibimbap vegetables
- 1 lb soybean sprouts
- 1 lb Korean radish sliced into very thin matchsticks
- 2 small zucchini sliced
- 1 bunch watercress sliced
- 6 oz shiitake mushroom thinly sliced
- 2 carrots sliced into thin matchsticks (see note)
Vegetable seasonings
- 3 tbsp minced garlic divided
- 2 tbsp Korean soup soy sauce (gukganjang) divided
- 2-3 tsp salt to season, divided
- 2 tbsp sesame oil divided
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds divided
- 1 green onion finely chopped
Instructions
To make bibimbap sauce
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well; set aside.
To make bibimbap vegetables
- For the soybean sprouts, blanch them in boiling water for 5 minutes and drain. Season with a a mixture of 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 2 teaspoons Korean soup soy sauce, pinch salt, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 2 teaspoons sesame seeds, and 2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions. Toss well.
- For the radish, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the 2 teaspoons of minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add radish slices and a couple pinches of salt, and toss well. Cover with a lid and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Drizzle 2 teaspoon of sesame oil. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- For zucchini, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add 2 teaspoons garlic, zucchini slices, and salt. Stir fry until soft, about 1-2 minutes. Add 2 teaspoon sesame oil and 1 teaspoon sesame seeds. Toss well.
- For watercress, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium heat, add the 2 teaspoons of minced garlic and watercress; stir fry for 1 minute. Drizzle 2 teaspoon Korean soup soy sauce and cook until wilted.
- For mushrooms, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium heat, add the 2 teaspoons minced garlic and the mushrooms; stir fry for 1 minute. Drizzle 2 teaspoon Korean soup soy sauce and cook until soft. Sprinkle in 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds at the end and toss.
- For carrots, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add carrot and salt and toss together for 30 seconds. Pour in 2 tablespoons water to create steam and cover with a lid immediately. Cook for 1-2 minutes until soft. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds at the end and toss.
For ground beef and egg
- Cook ground beef bulgogi according to the recipe direction.
- For eggs, fry eggs to sunny-side up or over easy in hot oil.
Assembling Bibimbap
- Put a desired amount of rice on the bottom of a large serving bowl. Arrange the vegetables on top of the rice in alternating colors for a good visual presentation. Put bulgogi meat in the center. Place an sunny-side up egg on top.
- You can either drizzle the bibimbap sauce (about 2 tablespoon) directly over the rice bowl, or you can put the sauce in a small sauce bowl on the side next to the bibimbap so that your guest can add the sauce directly to the bowl in their desired amount.
Video
Notes
For carrot: I use package pre-shreded carrot matchsticks. It's a time savor and makes prep time shorter.
For vegetarian or vegan bibimbap: You can either omit the beef and egg, or replace with tofu and other plant based protein.
For ultimate bibimbap sauce: try my all-purpose homemade gochujang sauce to replace the easy bibimbap sauce.
Nutrition
Calories: 659kcal | Carbohydrates: 71g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 217mg | Sodium: 1278mg | Potassium: 1049mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 3956IU | Vitamin C: 46mg | Calcium: 166mg | Iron: 5mg