How to Make Bibimbap

Half the work is prep

Bibimbap is a one-bowl dish of rice topped with assorted seasoned vegetables, meat and egg, then mixed with sauce. Each component is simple, but there are many of them, so starting without a plan takes a long time and the first items go cold. The trick is to make the vegetables and seasoned meat first, since they hold well, and leave quick-cooling items like eggs for last. Leftover vegetables and side dishes also make excellent bibimbap, so there is no need to make every topping from scratch.

Ingredients (example for two)

This is a typical set of toppings. Choosing ingredients of different colors looks good and adds variety in flavor. How to make the vegetables is covered in the basic seasoned vegetables guide.

• 2 bowls of rice (cooked slightly firmer than usual)
• 3 to 4 vegetables: spinach, soybean sprouts, bracken, radish salad or sautéed carrot, a handful each
• 100 g ground beef with 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 tbsp sugar, a little garlic and sesame oil
• 2 eggs (fried, or just the yolk)
• Gochujang sauce: 2 tbsp gochujang, 1/2 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp water
• Crumbled laver and toasted sesame seeds

Method

Follow the order and you can serve two in 30 to 40 minutes. The vegetables can be made a day ahead.

• Blanch or sauté each vegetable and season it
• Season the ground beef and fry it in a pan until fully cooked and dry
• Mix the gochujang sauce ingredients
• Put rice in bowls and arrange the toppings around it so colors do not overlap
• Fry the eggs last, place one in the center, and serve with the sauce and sesame oil

When it turns soggy or bland

The biggest cause of soggy bibimbap is water from the vegetables. If blanched vegetables are not squeezed firmly, they release water as you mix, the rice turns mushy and the sauce gets thin. Soft rice has the same effect. If it tastes flat, the vegetables themselves are usually under-seasoned. Vegetables for bibimbap should be seasoned a touch more than when served as side dishes so they taste right once mixed with rice. Adding more gochujang alone makes it salty and heavy, so spread the seasoning across the vegetables and meat.

How to mix it well

Rather than mashing with a spoon, lift and cut through the rice as you mix so the grains do not get crushed. Do not add all the sauce at once; add about half, mix, taste and add more. A drizzle of sesame oil at the end brings out the aroma. For anyone who cannot handle spice, mix it with a soy-based sauce instead of gochujang, made from soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds and chopped green onion. Use a bigger bowl than you think you need so you can mix evenly without spilling, and let very hot rice cool slightly so the vegetables do not wilt.

Stone bowl and variations

Stone-bowl bibimbap is served in a heated stone bowl coated with sesame oil, so a crispy rice crust forms on the bottom. At home, a heavy cast-iron pan or a thick-bottomed pot gives a similar result: press the rice in and leave it over low heat until the bottom turns golden. You can top it with other proteins such as tuna or salmon, or leave out the meat and add pan-fried tofu for a vegetarian bowl. In that case, check the ingredients of the soy sauce and gochujang too.

Finding ingredients abroad

In Japan, spinach, soybean sprouts and carrots are easy to find, and boiled, packaged bracken is sold in supermarkets. Mung bean sprouts can stand in for soybean sprouts, but they are less crunchy and wilt quickly, so blanch them briefly. In English-speaking countries, Asian grocery stores carry gochujang and bracken. Crushed seasoned laver works in place of laver flakes. Ground pork or chicken can replace beef; whichever you use, cook it through.

Food safety and allergies

Some versions top bibimbap with a raw egg yolk, but raw egg carries a risk of food poisoning and is not recommended for children, pregnant women, older adults or people with weakened immunity. For them, use a fried egg cooked until the yolk is set. Ground meat must be cooked all the way through. Gochujang and soy sauce contain soy and wheat, and sesame oil and seeds contain sesame, so check if anyone has allergies. Blanched vegetables spoil easily; keep them refrigerated and eat them within two to three days.