Bibimbap Recipe 1 - Classic Dolsot Bibimbap (with Vegetarian Vegan Option)
돌솥 비빔밥

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bibimbap
healthy
nut free
vegetarian
vegan
pescetarian
prep time: 
60 min
inactive time: 
480 min
cooking time: 
90 min
total time: 
630 min

Looking for a nutritious meal for your family or friends? Something that would completely wow your guests?
Try this Bibimbap recipe. It's a heavenly combination of beef, flavorful vegetables cooked just right, fried egg on top and the spiciness of Korean Chilli Paste with a hint of aromatic sesame oil.

This could also be an amazing vegetarian/vegan dish if you just skip the beef and/or egg. The flavors of all the vegetables are more than enough to please your palate.

Bibimbap is not a dish for beginners though, as there are many cooking steps involved. But all the hard work is well worth it!
Also, remember that you can choose 3-4 toppings for a simpler version. Please see below for tips on how to choose toppings.

Looking for gluten free gochujang made with non-GMO ingredients in bulk size for wholesale? Click here to purchase non-GMO gluten free gochujang.

Want to make it spicy? Try ournon-GMO gochugaru Coarse Grind or non-GMO gochugaru Fine Grind.

If you are a cooking expert, try to make your own gochujang with non-GMO gochugaru Fine Grind!

Looking for a nutritious meal for your family or friends? Something that would completely wow your guests?
Try this Bibimbap recipe. It's a heavenly combination of beef, flavorful vegetables cooked just right, fried egg on top and the spiciness of Korean Chilli Paste with a hint of aromatic sesame oil.

This could also be an amazing vegetarian/vegan dish if you just skip the beef and/or egg. The flavors of all the vegetables are more than enough to please your palate.

Bibimbap is not a dish for beginners though, as there are many cooking steps involved. But all the hard work is well worth it!
Also, remember that you can choose 3-4 toppings for a simpler version. Please see below for tips on how to choose toppings.

Looking for gluten free gochujang made with non-GMO ingredients in bulk size for wholesale? Click here to purchase non-GMO gluten free gochujang.

Want to make it spicy? Try ournon-GMO gochugaru Coarse Grind or non-GMO gochugaru Fine Grind.

If you are a cooking expert, try to make your own gochujang with non-GMO gochugaru Fine Grind!

INGREDIENTS

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Change to: Metric US

main ingredients

3½ cupsRice, white short grain 쌀
12 ozBeef 소고기 (optional, omit if vegetarian or vegan)
3 ozShiitake mushroom (dried) 표고버섯
2 ozFernbrake or Bracken, Gosari 고사리
2 ozDoraji, Bellflower Root 도라지 (optional)
9 ozCarrot (large Korean carrot) 당근 (1 large Korean carrot is about 11oz or 300g)
1 Zucchini, Korean (Grey Squash) 애호박
6 ozSoybean Sprouts 콩나물 (or mung bean sprouts)
6 ozSpinach 시금치
6 ozKorean Spring Greens 봄나물 (optional)
7 Egg 계란 (optional, omit if vegan)
7 tbsGochujang (Hot Pepper Paste) 고추장 (optional)
½ cup 1⅓ tbsVegetable Oil 식용유

for seasoning & cooking (total amounts)

2⅓ tbsSugar 설탕 (optional)
1⅔ tbsSalt 소금 (for soaking, blanching & seasoning)
1½ tbsSoy Sauce (regular) 왜간장
3⅔ tbsSoy Sauce for Soup (Gukganjang) 국간장 (optional, use more salt instead)
2⅓ tbsGarlic (minced) 다진 마늘
5 tbsSesame Oil 참기름
2 tspBlack Pepper 후추
4⅔ tbsChopped Green Onion 다진파
2⅓ tbsSesame Seeds 깨
           
tips: 

The following is the summary of seasoning ingredients for each topping. You can also find these amounts in the cooking directions below but we thought this chart may help you see everything at once. Please note that these amounts are for the default serving of 4. The amount of salt may vary depending on the type of salt you use.

  g salt soy sauce sugar minced garlic sesame oil black pepper chopped green onions sesame seeds
beef 100     1 tsp 1/2 tsp 1/2 tsp 1 tsp pinch 1 tsp 1/2 tsp
shiitake mushroom 50     1 tsp 1/2 tsp 1/2 tsp 1/2 tsp pinch 1 tsp 1/2 tsp
gosari (fernbrake) 35   1 tbs     1/2 tsp 1 tsp pinch 1 tsp 1/2 tsp
doraji (platycodon root) 35   1 tbs     1/2 tsp 1 tsp pinch 1 tsp 1/2 tsp
soy bean sprout 100 1/4 - 1/2 tsp       1/2 tsp 1/2 tsp   1 tsp 1/2 tsp
korean spring greens 100 1/8 - 1/4 tsp 1/4 tsp     1/2 tsp 1/2 tsp pinch 1 tsp 1/2 tsp
spinach 100 1/8 - 1/4 tsp 1/4 tsp     1/2 tsp 1/2 tsp pinch 1 tsp 1/2 tsp
zucchini 100 1/4 tsp       1/2 tsp 1 tsp   1 tsp 1/2 tsp
carrot 70 1/4 tsp         1 tsp pinch    

Don’t be overwhelmed! You can choose a few toppings you like.
When it comes to bibimbap, there is no one original recipe. In general, classic bibimbap includes beef, soy bean sprouts namul, spinach namul, gosari (fernbrake) namul, mushrooms and carrots. But people substitute in and out with a variety of toppings, such as doraji (platycodon) namul, eggplant namul, zucchini namul, chui namul, radish and many more depending on the region and season.

When choosing toppings, consider balance in taste, texture and color.
Taste: For pleasant bitterness add toppings like doraji (platycodon root) namul, bom namul, chui namul and san namul.
For sweetness, add carrots or zucchini.
Texture: If you like a bit of a mushy texture you can add zucchini and mushrooms, whereas things like platycodon are more crunchy.
Color: You want to use a variety of colors to create a beautiful and contrasting array. (For example, if you have spinach perhaps you don't need to use two other greens. You want different colors like red, white, brown, etc.) When you arrange the ingredients, try to put contrasting colors next to each other, and similar colors as far apart as possible.

You can buy Korean dried vegetables online.
Gosari, product of Korea
Gomchwi, product of Korea

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a stone bowl and where can I buy one?
“Stone Bowl” is the common North American name for the sizzling bibimbap bowl, directly translated from “Dol Sot” bibimbap. Natural stone bowls are mostly used in restaurants for the unique look, but many Koreans use ceramic stoneware at home for its ease of use and sanitary benefit. In terms of function, it performs just like natural stone. One primary example is its sizzling effect. Buy stone bowls here

Why are stone bowls so big and how many people can I serve with one stone bowl?
Stone bowls are traditionally for individual servings (meaning one bowl is for one person), though they are big. But, that doesn't mean you have to fill up the bowl to the top if you are not a big eater. Big bowls are used because it's easy to mix things up without making a mess. But then again, I could see the fully filled dolsot feeding 2-3 small eaters if people want to use it as a communal bowl.

Why can't I get the crust at the bottom?
There could be two reasons for this. ONE, you may be using the wrong type of rice. For all Korean cooking, use short grain rice. (It's also called sticky rice. Koreans and Japanese eat this type of rice). Other types of rice may not be sticky enough. Also, your rice can be cooked too dry. TWO, you may just need to leave your bowl on the stove for a longer time. It takes awhile to pre-heat the dolsot, so you probably want to leave the rice in the bowl for 10-20 min after pre-heating it. You can try to put it on medium after pre-heating, but you will have to check it frequently to prevent burning.

Not all the toppings are hot after following this recipe. Is that normal?
Traditionally, the veggies (na-mul) on bibimbap are not supposed to be hot. Na-muls are room temperature side dishes that you can also use in bibimbap. If you prefer everything to be hot, add all the topping when you pre-heat the bowl and rice and leave the whole thing on the stove on low heat for awhile, with a cover or a lid. One of our viewers suggested putting the whole thing in the oven for awhile.

Do I have to use a stone bowl for bibimbap?
No, bibimbap can be served in a regular bowl. But, it's definitely a step up in terms of taste and presentation.

Can I blanch everything at once?
There are three reasons why we blanching things separately. First, it allows you to create a killer presentation. If you mix everything up, it won't look as pretty. Secondly, ingredients get cooked at different speeds. So, you may end up with some things undercooked or others overcooked. Thirdly, when you cook things together, the flavors can be infused to create a different flavor than the intended one. However, I am not going to discourage you from experimenting and adapting the recipe to your liking. After all, cooking is a creative process!

More questions? Please leave your questions below in the comment section. We will do our best to answer as soon as we can.

instructions
photos
summary
Ingredient amounts in the recipe instructions are for the default serving size.
Click to enlarge photos.
Ingredient amounts in the recipe summary are for the default serving size.

1. Soak gosari

Soak 35g of dried gosari (fernbrake) in water for at least 3 hours. Overnight is ideal!
image: RBBBCS01.JPG
1

Soak dried gosari (fernbrake)

image: clock.png 180 min

2. Soak doraji

Soak 35g of dried doraji (platycodon roots) in water for at least 3 hours. Overnight is ideal! Then soak in salt water for 20 min to get rid of the bitter taste (salt water step is optional).
image: RBBBCS02.JPG
2

Soak dried doraji (platycodon roots)

image: clock.png 180 min

Soak in salt water

image: clock.png 20 min

3. Soak and wash mushrooms

Soak dried shiitake mushrooms in sugar water (1 tbs sugar + 2 cups water) for 30 min or until they become soft. Then, wash thoroughly and squeeze all the water out. If you can get fresh Shiitake mushrooms, just wash them in cold water.
image: RBBBCS03.JPG
3

Soak in cold water

  • Shiitake mushrooms

image: clock.png 30 min

Wash

Squeeze water out

4. Wash gosari & doraji

Wash gosari and doraji twice in cold water. Drain water in a strainer.
image: RBBBCS04.JPG
4

Wash twice

  • gosari
  • doraji

5. Cook rice

Don’t forget to cook rice before you start. See how to cook rice in a pot or how to cook rice using rice cooker .
image: RBBBCS05.JPG
5

Cook rice

6. Prepare garlic and green onions

Peel and mince 4-5 cloves of garlic and finely chop 3 green onions.
image: RBBBCS06.JPG
6

Mince 4-5 cloves garlic

Chop 3 green onions

7. Prepare carrot & zucchini

Peel and wash ½ carrot and ½ zucchini.
image: RBBBCS07.JPG
7

Peel & wash

  • carrot
  • zucchini

8. Julienne

Julienne 4 shiitake mushrooms, ½ carrot and ½ zucchini.
image: RBBBCS08.JPG
8

Julienne

  • 4 shiitake mushrooms
  • ½ carrot
  • ½ zucchini

9. Prepare beef

Julienne 100g of beef and marinate with 1 teaspoon of regular soy sauce, ½ teaspoon of sugar, ½ teaspoon minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, 1 teaspoon chopped green onions, ½ teaspoon of sesame seeds and a pinch of black pepper.
image: RBBBCS09.JPG
9

Julienne beef

Marinate with

  • 1 tsp regular soy sauce
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • ½ tsp minced garlic
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp chopped green onions
  • ½ tsp of sesame seeds
  • a pinch black pepper

10. Blanch and remove water

Blanch bracken, platycodon roots, spinach, and Korean spring greens separately in boiling water with a pinch of salt (bracken: until soft, 10-20 min depending on how long you soaked, platycodon roots:10 min, spinach: 1 min, Korean spring greens: 1 min). Rinse in cold water and squeeze all the water out with your hands. Blanching time may vary depending on how soaked your vegetables are. As a rule of thumb, blanch until they just become soft. Don’t over cook.
image: RBBBCS10.JPG
10

Blanch in boiling water

with ⅛ teaspoon salt.

  • bracken image: clock.png 10 min
  • platycodon roots: image: clock.png 10 min
  • spinach: image: clock.png 1 min
  • Korean spring greens: image: clock.png 1 min

Rinse in cold water

Squeeze water out

11. Prepare soy bean sprouts

Blanch soy bean sprouts in boiling water with a pinch of salt for 5 min. Ensure the lid is closed. Otherwise, it could have unpleasant smell later. Rinse in cold water and drain water out in a strainer (don’t squeeze).
image: RBBBCS11.JPG
11

Blanch soybean sprouts

in boiling water

  • ⅛ tsp salt
  • image: clock.png 5 min

Rinse in cold water

Drain in strainer

12. Sauté gosari

Coat a pan with 1 teaspoon of sesame oil. Sauté gosari (fernbrake) with ½ teaspoon of minced garlic, for 3 min on medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of water, 1 tablespoon of gukganjang (soy sauce for soup), 1 teaspoon chopped green onions and saute for another 5-10 min until softened. If it starts to stick to the bottom, you can add a bit more water. Turn off the heat. Add a pinch of black pepper and ½ teaspoon of sesame seeds. *Cooking time may differ depending on how the gosari was dried and how long the gosari was soaked in water.
image: RBBBCS12.JPG
12

Sauté gosari Med Heat image: medheat.png image: clock.png 3 min

  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • ½ tsp minced garlic

Add

  • 2 tbs water
  • 1 tbs soy sauce for soup
  • 1 tsp chopped green onions

Sauté Med Heat image: medheat.png image: clock.png 7 min

Off heat and add

  • a pinch black pepper
  • ½ tsp sesame seeds

13. Sauté doraji

Sauté doraji (platycodon roots) exactly same way as bracken.
image: RBBBCS13.JPG
13

Sauté doraji Med Heat image: medheat.png image: clock.png 3 min

  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • ½ tsp minced garlic

Add

  • 2 tbs water
  • 1 tbs soy sauce for soup
  • 1 tsp chopped green onions

Sauté Med Heat image: medheat.png image: clock.png 7 min

Off heat and add

  • a pinch black pepper
  • ½ tsp sesame seeds

14. Sauté shiitake mushrooms

Sauté julienned shiitake mushrooms with 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, with 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, ½ teaspoon of sugar, ½ teaspoon of minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of chopped green onions, a pinch of black pepper and ½ teaspoon of sesame seeds on high heat for 3 min or until cooked.

image: RBBBCS14.JPG
14

Sauté mushrooms

High Heat image: highheat.png image: clock.png 3 min

  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • ½ tsp minced garlic
  • 1 tsp chopped green onions
  • a pinch black pepper
  • ½ tsp sesame seeds

15. Sauté carrots

Sauté carrots with 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, ¼ teaspoon of salt and a pinch of black pepper on medium heat for 5 min or until cooked.
image: RBBBCS15.JPG
15

Sauté carrots

Med Heat image: medheat.png image: clock.png 5 min

  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • a pinch black pepper

16. Sauté zucchini

Sauté zucchini with 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, ¼ teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of chopped green onions, a pinch of black pepper and ½ teaspoon of sesame seeds on medium heat for 3 min or until cooked.
image: RBBBCS16.JPG
16

Sauté zucchini

Med Heat image: medheat.png image: clock.png 3 min

  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp minced garlic
  • 1 tsp chopped green onions
  • a pinch black pepper
  • ½ tsp sesame seeds

17. Sauté beef

Sauté the marinated beef in vegetable oil on high heat until fully cooked (about 5 min). Stir frequently.
image: RBBBCS17.JPG
17

Sauté beef High Heat image: highheat.png image: clock.png 5 min

  • in 1 tbs vegetable oil
  • until cooked

Stir

18. Season spinach and mix

Season blanched spinach with the following and mix well with your hand: ⅛-¼ teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon of gukganjang (soy sauce for soup), ½ teaspoon of minced garlic, ½ teaspoon of sesame oil, 1 teaspoon of chopped green onions, a pinch of black pepper and ½ teaspoon of sesame seeds.
image: RBBBCS18.JPG
18

Season spinach and mix

  • ⅛-¼ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp gukganjang (soy sauce for soup)
  • ½ tsp minced garlic
  • ½ tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp chopped green onions
  • a pinch black pepper
  • ½ tsp sesame seeds

19. Season spring greens and mix

Season bom namul (spring greens) and mix exactly same way as spinach: ⅛-¼ teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon of gukganjang (soy sauce for soup), ½ teaspoon of minced garlic, ½ teaspoon of sesame oil, 1 teaspoon of chopped green onions, a pinch of black pepper and ½ teaspoon of sesame seeds.
image: RBBBCS19.JPG
19

Season Korean spring greens and mix

  • ⅛-¼ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp gukganjang (soy sauce for soup)
  • ½ tsp minced garlic
  • ½ tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp chopped green onions
  • a pinch black pepper
  • ½ tsp sesame seeds

20. Season soy bean sprouts and mix

Season soy bean sprouts with the following and mix well with your hand: ¼-½ teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of minced garlic, ½ teaspoon of sesame oil, 1 teaspoon of green onions, a pinch of black pepper and ½ teaspoon of sesame seeds.
image: RBBBCS20.JPG
20

Season soy bean sprouts and mix well

  • ¼-½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp minced garlic
  • ½ tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp chopped green onions
  • a pinch black pepper
  • ½ tsp sesame seeds

21. Heat stone bowls

Coat 4 stone bowls with vegetable oil or sesame oil and place a bed of rice (short grain rice/sticky rice) at the bottom of stone bowls and leave them on LOW heat for 15-20 min (or until golden brown crust is formed at the bottom).
image: RBBBCS21.JPG
21

Coat stone bowl with oil

Place a bed of rice

Low Heat image: lowheat.png image: clock.png 15 min

(golden brown crust)

22. Top with ingredients

Add more rice. Top with all ingredients so that contrasting colors are beside each other. If you prefer all ingredients to be hot, add everything when you preheat the stone bowl and rice (in the previous step). You don’t have to completely fill up the bowl. Stone bowls are big so people can mix the content without making a mess. If you are a small eater, use a smaller amount of rice.
image: RBBBCS22.JPG
22

Add more rice

Top with ingredients

23. Fry eggs (optional)

Fry 4 eggs with salt and pepper and place it on top of the dish (one for each stone bowl). Eggs are optional.
image: RBBBCS23.JPG
23

Fry eggs

Place on top

24. Serve and enjoy

Serve with gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste) and sesame oil on the side. To enjoy the dish, add red chili paste and sesame oil to your liking and mix everything well. You can kick it up a notch by making a special sauce instead of plain gochujang. See bibimbap sauce or bibimbap sauce with beef for the recipes. Or you can buy Bibim Gochujang Sauce.
image: RBBBCS24.JPG
24

Serve on the side

  • red chili paste
  • sesame oil

Comments

evcim02's picture
evcim02 replied on Permalink
hi ladies! a few days ago i asked you about Jjimdak and you were so kind to reply me thank you so much,i have passed first round and will cook bibimbap this friday for the second round.i don't have a lot of ingridients above such as bom namul,dosaji and gosari.i was thinking to use cucumber and if i can find daikon.if i use this ingridients should i make them sit in salt for a few minutes? is it ok to put gochujang sauce under the egg?(or beside) and one last question does this dish has a story like Jjimdak?how and when it was invented etc.cause i can't find any information on wikipedia.so sorry for asking a lot.hope you can help thanks a lot..
Grace's picture
Grace replied on Permalink

Hello evicim02, (what's your real name?), Congrats on passing the first round. You don't have to have all the ingredients listed here. You can use cucumber and radish. You can lightly saute both (like less than 1 minute) on medium heat and sprinkle some salt. Some say bibimbap originated from king's light lunch in Jo-seon dynasty (old Korea) when he was out on a trip. Some say it originated from farmers having to eat quickly in the field. So they mixed all available vegetables and ate it in a big bowl. For history and more, see "jeon-ju bibimbap" recipe and the video as well. http://crazykoreancooking.com/recipe/jeonju-bibimbap

You can see all bibimbap recipes here: http://crazykoreancooking.com/recipes?only_show%5B%5D=bibimbap&vfas=edit...

Hope this helps! In the future you can buy bibimbap ingredients on our website. http://crazykoreanshopping.com
Happy cooking!

evcim02's picture
evcim02 replied on Permalink
Grace thank you so much for your help. my name is same as my user name Evcim. by the way do you have shipping to Turkey?I am from there.
Grace's picture
Grace replied on Permalink
Hi Evcim. Wow, Turkey? You live far way. We do ship to Turkey but the shipping cost will be quite high unfortunately... Hope your competition goes well.
evcim02's picture
evcim02 replied on Permalink
hi Grace.i had bad luck at the competition;cut my finger and ran out of time because using rubber gloves,my fried egg's yolk got burst and decided to use a raw yolk but it got bursted too.even though i got to the finals.I'll cook Japchae for finals and have to practice a lot till 25th of june.wanna thank you girls for this wonderful recipes,they were so good i was able to be in top 6 by the taste.thank you so much...
Grace's picture
Grace replied on Permalink
That's great, Evicim. So proud of you! Hope your fingers heal fast. Let us know how the next one goes.
DragonMSTR's picture
DragonMSTR replied on Permalink
The classic dolsot bibimbap is one of my favourites at my local restaurant. I love when the stone bowl arrives and the food is sizzling, not to mention the great flavours. The crispy rice is really great! I always thought there was little preparation for this dish, so I went and bought my own stone dolsot bowl and set out to prepare this recipe. I was not correct in thinking there was little to do to make this dish; there is a lot of preparation that goes into this wonderful dish. It's not difficult and your recipe is very easy to follow. It's really a great meal and thank you for the detailed recipe! Tony
Grace's picture
Grace replied on Permalink
Hi Tony, We're glad we could be part of your Korean food adventure. Hope you enjoy delicious bibimbap and more! Let us know if you have any questions. Happy cooking!