Vegan Bibimbap (Korean-inspired rice bowl)

Anyone else trying to take advantage of the last days of summer? Us, too. For us, that means building our meal plans around eating as many farmer’s market veggies while we can. Bibimbap is the perfect summer food because it uses so many fresh vegetables—so I’ve started making vegan bibimbap, replicating my favorite Korean restaurant order.

What is bibimbap?

Bibimbap is a delicious Korean dish that consists of a bowl of rice topped with a variety of vegetables and meat prepared separately. When I’ve eaten it, it is served in a hot stone bowl with a raw egg cracked right on top. The heat from the stone bowl and the other ingredients cooks the egg and makes the bottom layer of rice nice and crispy.

As I made this version vegan, it of course doesn’t include the egg or meat. However, if you are vegetarian and not vegan, adding a fried egg is easy and will up the protein in this dish!

For this vegan bibimbap recipe:

I chose not to cook the carrots, but you could saute them for a few minutes to make them slightly softer.

I didn’t use a lot of spices in this recipe, because it’s all about the sauce you add! I typically choose to add gochujang (a red chili paste) mixed with a bit of sesame oil, but soy sauce would also work if you don’t have access to gochujang. If you are looking for gochujang in a big grocery store, look in the “Asian” or “International” section. If you have access to a Korean grocery store or a large Asian grocery store (H-Mart, anyone??) you can definitely find gochujang there.

I’ve primarily eaten this with short-grain rice at Korean restaurants. I chose to use jasmine rice when I made and photographed this recipe. Pick your favorite and use that one!

Pickled daikon radish is slightly sweet and adds another layer of flavor. I have only found this in Asian grocery stores, so you may not have any luck finding this in a typical American grocery store. When in doubt, you can always do what Nicole does: order from Amazon (she’s personally bought Jeff Bezos at least one yacht by now).

Kimchi is fermented cabbage with spices. It can be spicy, so be aware if you don’t like spicy foods. It adds so much flavor, though, so I highly recommend adding some!

Let us know if you have any questions about making this easy summer recipe!
Happy eating,
Elana

Vegan BiBimBap

Bibimbap is the perfect summer food because it uses so many fresh vegetables. When I’ve eaten it, it is served in a hot stone bowl with a raw egg cracked right on top. The heat from the stone bowl and the other ingredients cooks the egg and makes the bottom layer of rice nice and crispy.

As I made this Bibimbap vegan, it of course does not include the egg or meat. However, if you are vegetarian and not vegan, adding a fried egg is easy and will up the protein in this dish!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Korean-inspired

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  

Rice:

• 1 1/2 cups white rice uncooked
• 3 cups water
• pinch of salt

Vegetables:

• 4 Tablespoons sesame oil divided
• 3 cups spinach chopped
• 2 cucumbers cut into thin slices
• 2 carrots cut into thin slices
• 8 oz mini portobello mushrooms sliced
• salt to taste
• sesame seeds to taste

Protein:

• 14 oz tofu pressed and cut into thin slices
• 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
• salt to taste

Optional Additions:

• Nori/Seaweed Snacks
• Kimchi
• Pickled Daikon radish
• Roasted Sesame Seeds
• Soy Sauce
• Gochujang Sauce

Instructions

 

• To a medium saucepan add rice (1.5c), water (3c), and salt (pinch). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cover. Cook for 20-30 minutes, until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add 1 Tablespoon sesame oil, chopped spinach (3c), salt (to taste), and sesame seeds (to taste). Saute until tender and dark green. Transfer to a small bowl.
• In the same skillet, add another 1 Tablespoon of sesame oil, mushrooms (8oz), salt (to taste), and sesame seeds (to taste). Saute until tender. Transfer to a small bowl.
• In the same skillet, add 1 Tablespoon of sesame oil and as many tofu slices as will fit in one layer. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook for 3-5 minutes (until browned), then flip to other side. Cook additional 3-5 minutes (until browned). Repeat process until all tofu slices are cooked.
• Combine cucumbers (2), sesame oil (1 Tblsp), and sesame seeds (to taste) in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.
• Combine carrots (2), sesame oil (1 Tblsp), and sesame seeds (to taste) in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.
• Once all pieces are ready, add rice to bowl, desired vegetables/protein, and optional additions.
• I recommend adding a gochujang sauce for extra flavor.
• Serve immediately!

Keyword easy, gluten-friendly, healthy, seasonal vegetables, vegan, vegetarian