Here’s How To Build Your Own Korean Bibimbap

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Bibimbap is the gateway drug to Korean food. You don’t have to be an expert on the cuisine to love this flavorful rice bowl. Bibimbap, at its core, is mixed rice with meat and a bunch of vegetables. Traditional bibimbap is often made with raw beef or raw egg yolk, but there are endless variations you can make depending on your preferences and dietary requirements. Below is your guide to crafting your own bowl of bibimbap.

Keep in mind the order the operations. Blanch any vegetables (like spinach or green beans) while the rice is cooking and cook your meat, or your preferred protein, toward the end so it’s all hot when you’re ready to eat.

Meat

Beef is the traditional Korean choice for bibimbap. You can use a cut like a top round steak and get it marinating before you start cooking the rest of the ingredients. A combination of soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, sugar and sesame oil always proves to be an awesome marinade for any kind of protein.

Rice

You can go with your favorite kind of rice here, whether it’s white, brown, jasmine, sticky, basmati or long grain. If you have a rice cooker it’ll make your life easier, but you don’t need one. Here’s how to make perfectly cooked rice. The trick is to soak the rice for around 15 to 20 minutes before cooking it. Soaking lets all of the moisture seep into the rice grains so that they cook faster. The ratio of rice to liquid should always be one to two.

Toppings

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The toppings are the best part when crafting your personalized bibimbap. You can go with anything from pickled cucumbers to kimchi to shredded carrots to bean sprouts. Any sautéed or raw vegetables work on top of the warm rice. If you find some sort of exotic mushroom or beet at the farmer’s market, go for it. There are no boundaries here.

Eggs

The egg style is up to you, whether fried, scrambled, poached or raw. Scrambled eggs can be a little on the dry side so we recommend runnier styles. When the egg is poached, raw or fried, you can mix around the yolk to coat all of the toppings. The egg cooks as you mix it around with everything in the bowl.

Sauces

If you like spicy food, gochujang is a popular ingredient for a bibimbap sauce. Here’s a recipe for a bibimbap sauce that combines gochujang, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, fresh garlic, brown sugar and toasted sesame seeds. You don’t need to get fancy when it comes to the sauce. You can simply sprinkle a little bit of sesame oil on top and call it a day.

Vessel

A stone bowl, or any kind of bowl that retains heat, is best for bibimbap. You want to make sure your rice and protein stay warm so that they can cook the runny the egg. Your crunchy toppings can be warm or cold.

Layer your bibimbap first with the rice, then protein, veggies, egg and finally the sauce. Sprinkle some sesame seeds or sliced scallions on top for an extra garnish.

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