Bibimbap! (Korean Rice Bowl)

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Instructions

Bibimbap Sauce:

  • Mix ingredients until sugar is dissolved.

Marinated Beef:

  • Mix the marinade in a bowl, then add beef. Marinate for 30 minutes to overnight.
  • Heat 2 tsp oil in a large skillet over high heat. Let excess marinade drip off then add beef. Cook for 3 – 4 minutes until cooked and there’s some caramelised bits, then remove from skillet.
  • Keep warm until required or reheat to warm.

Prepare Vegetables:

  • Shiitake: Soak mushrooms in a large bowl of boiling water for 30 minutes, or until rehydrated. Drain, squeeze out excess water, then slice.
  • Carrot and Zucchini salting (optional, Note 10): Place carrot and zucchini in separate bowls, sprinkle each with 1/4 tsp salt, toss, leave for 20 minutes then drain excess liquid.

Cook Vegetables:

  • Get 2 skillets going if you can!
  • Shiitake: Heat 2 tsp oil oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Cook mushrooms for 2 minutes. Add 1.5 tsp soy, 1/4 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp of garlic. Stir for 1 minute, then remove.
  • Carrot: Add 2 tsp oil into the skillet, cook carrot until just tender (5 to 8 minutes), then remove.
  • Zucchini: Cook as with carrot for 4 minutes.
  • Spinach: Heat 2 tsp veg with a splash of sesame oil. Saute until starting to wilt. Add 1/2 tsp garlic, and salt to taste, stir, then remove. When cool, squeeze to drain out excess liquid.
  • Beansprouts: Simmer in water for 5 min or steam in microwave for 3 min until floppy. Drain under cold water, then cool. Squeeze out excess liquid with hands, place in bowl. Mix with 2 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp garlic, 1/4 tsp fish sauce.
  • Vegetables can cool, they are meant to be at room temp or slightly warm.

Assemble:

  • Fry eggs in a skillet to your taste (I like mine with runny yolks).
  • Place warm rice in bowls.
  • Top with vegetables and beef, as pictured in post, then lastly, the egg.
  • Sprinkle with sesame seeds, drizzled with sesame oil. Serve with Bibimbap Sauce!
Recipe Notes:
1. Rice – traditionally served with short grain white rice, can also use sushi rice (which is a short grain rice). Short grain is stickier so it’s easier to pick up with chopsticks. Any white or other rice of choice is also fine.2. Beef – you can buy finely sliced beef in the freezer section of Asian stores, and I strongly urge you to do that if you can, I usually do! To do it yourself (which I did for the video & photos), use any tender cut of beef suitable for quick cooking (I used tenderloin). To slice super finely (the “Asian” way!), freeze for 30 to 60 minutes until firm but not rock hard, then finely slice as thin as possible.

3. Apple – using grated apple and nashi pears is a classic Korean marinade technique. Adds a touch of flavour, sweetness and tenderises the meat.

4. Soy sauce – use light or all purpose soy. Do not use soy labelled as dark soy or sweet soy.

5. Shiitake Mushrooms – dried mushrooms are found in larger supermarkets in Australia, but cheaper at Asian stores! Use 8 large or 12 small.

Sub fresh shiitake (but dried has more intense flavour), or any other fresh mushrooms (skip the soaking step).

6. Gochujang – a spicy red miso based based, lots of umami! Key Korean cooking ingredient. Find it at Asian grocery stores (it’s cheap, ~$2.50, and lasts for ages), at some Woolworths stores (Australia), and here it is on Amazon Australia,  US, Canada and UK.

7. Mirin – Sweet Japanese cooking wine, also used in Korean cooking. Sold at Asian grocery stores and large supermarkets (Coles, Woolies, Aldi in Aus)

8. Rice Vinegar – Sold at Asian grocery stores and large supermarkets (Coles, Woolies, Aldi in Aus), sub with apple cider or white wine vinegar.

9. Sesame Oil – use toasted sesame oil, stronger flavour. Toasted is brown liquid, untoasted is yellow (not common in Australia).

10. Optional salting zucchini & carrot – this seasons the veg all the way through. I often skip this and just add the salt when sautéing.

11. Storage – This is SUCH a great meal prep! Keeps for 4 to 5 days. Also great bento box because it’s terrific at room temp! Can also freeze the beef straight after adding into marinade (it will marinade as it thaws).

12. Recipe references – I tend to research traditional ethnic foods quite a lot before sharing them so my end result reflects the best bits of all of them and tweaks to my taste! References include online Korean cooking experts such as Maangchi,  My Korean Kitchen (Aussie Korean food blog!), Korean Bapsang and Beyond Kimchee as well as a bunch of Korean cookbooks (some browsed at the library, some at the bookshop and some I own!).

13. Nutrition includes 1 cup of cooked rice per serving.
Nutrition Information:
Calories:689cal (34%)Carbohydrates:73g (24%)Protein:27g (54%)Fat:32g (49%)Saturated Fat:14g (88%)Cholesterol:207mg (69%)Sodium:1021mg (44%)Potassium:930mg (27%)Fiber:5g (21%)Sugar:20g (22%)Vitamin A:5575IU (112%)Vitamin C:35mg (42%)Calcium:100mg (10%)Iron:4.4mg (24%)

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