Vegetarian Bibimbap with Brown Rice
When I traveled to Seoul for the first time 15 years ago, I knew almost nothing about Korean food. I was living in Beijing at the time, and flights to Seoul were cheap, so why not take a week’s vacation and explore South Korea’s capital?
That week, I remember trying so many things for the first time, including japchae, dak galbi, and Korean cinnamon tea. I remember being mesmerized by all the little dishes of banchan that came with every meal. And then there was the bibimbap, those beautiful rice bowls topped with meat, vegetables, egg, and chili paste that were available everywhere, from large restaurants to roadside stands. We even had bibimbap at a Korean spa, the perfect dinner after an afternoon of hopping between dry and wet saunas.
When I developed a bibimbap recipe for my book Red Hot Kitchen, I wanted to create a vegetarian version that was reminiscent of the simple, comforting bowls in Seoul. While New York has tons of great Korean restaurants, my neighborhood on the Upper East Side is lacking, and so I wind up making bibimbap at home whenever I’m craving it. It’s one of those dishes that you can have an any time of day; breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even at 2.a.m. after a night out.
You can make bibimbap whether or not you own a dolsot (stone bowl). The instructions offer three options for the rice: making bibimbap in a dolsot (and getting the signature sizzling rice on the bottom), a simple alternative to crispy rice using a wok or skillet, or going the minimalist route with steamed rice.
Let me know in the comments which one you tried!
Vegetarian Bibimbap with Brown Rice
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups brown rice
- 2 tablespoons gochujang
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon plus 1 1/2 tablespopons sesame oil
- 12 ounces baby spinach
- 1 teaspoon toasted white sesame seeds
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for the crispy rice (step 6)
- 2 large eggs
- 8 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 Persian (mini) or other seedless cucumber, very thinly sliced
- 1 medium carrot, julienned
- 1 cup soybean sprouts
- 1/2 cup kimchi
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine the brown rice and 4 1/2 cups water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the water is fully absorbed, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the heat, fluff the grains with a rice spatula, and keep covered until the other ingredients are ready.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the gochujang, 1 tablespoon water, the vinegar, honey, and 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil until smooth. set the bibimbap sauce aside.
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the spinach and cook just until the leaves are still bright green, about 30 seconds. Drain, rinse under cold water, and squeeze out the excess water. Transfer the spinach to a small bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil and the sesame seeds.
- In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil over medium heat. Carefully crack the eggs into the pan, making sure to keep them far apart. Fry the eggs until the whites are set but the yolk is still runny, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the eggs to a plate and set aside.
- In the same pan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté until softened and lightly golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the soy sauce and remaining 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil. Transfer the mushrooms to small bowl.
- TO MAKE THE CRISPY RICE IN DOLSOTS (STONE BOWLS): Grease the insides of two dolsots with vegetable oil and heat the empty bowls for 5 minutes over medium low heat. Divide the rice between the bowls, press down lightly with a spatula, and heat until you can hear the rice popping and cracking, another 5 to 7 minutes. Using oven mitts, carefully remove the hot bowls from the heat and move on to step 7. TO MAKE THE RICE CRISPY WITH OUT A DOLSOT: In a wok or large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium heat. add the rice and press down lightly with a spatula to make a thick cake. Allow it to cook undisturbed until a light golden brown crust forms on the bottom of the rice, 2 to 3 minutes. Divide the rice between two large bowls. (You can also skip this step and simply use freshly steamed rice. Divide it between two large bowls.
- Place a fried egg in the middle of each bowl. Arrange the spinach, mushrooms, cucumbers, carrot, soybean sprouts, and kimchi on top of the rice in a circle around the egg. Drizzle the bibimbap sauce over the top and serve. Before eating, break up the egg and mixx all the ingredients together.
