Bibimbap
Bibimbap means ‘mixed rice’, and that’s exactly how you eat it: the neatly arranged vegetables, beef and egg get stirred together vigorously with a spicy sauce. We cook and season each vegetable separately, so every spoonful has different textures. There are a lot of components, but each one is simple, and several can be made ahead.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Rest
- 30 min
- Total
- 1 h 45 min
- Servings
- 4
- Level
- Medium
- Per serving
- 780 kcal
Ingredients
For the rice
For the beef
For the vegetables
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What to use instead
The Korean classic uses soybean sprouts, but mung bean sprouts are easier to find — they’re more delicate and cook faster.
For the sauce and to serve
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What to use instead
Gochujang is sold in Asian shops and increasingly in supermarkets. It’s hard to replace, but at a push mix 2 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp honey and 1 tsp soy sauce.
Makes: 4 bowls
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Cook the rice
Rinse the rice until the water runs almost clear, add the 480 ml water and soak for 30 minutes. Bring to the boil covered, turn the heat to the lowest setting, cook for 13 minutes and leave to stand for 10 minutes.
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Step 2: Season the beef
While the rice soaks, mix the beef with the soy sauce, sugar, garlic and sesame oil.
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Step 3: Blanch the greens
Bring a pan of water to the boil. Blanch the bean sprouts for 1 minute and lift out, then the spinach for 30 seconds; cool under cold water and squeeze hard. Season the sprouts and spinach separately, each with a pinch of salt, a little garlic and 1 tsp sesame oil.
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Step 4: Sauté the vegetables
Cut the carrots into thin matchsticks, the courgette into thin half-moons and slice the mushrooms. In a pan with a little oil, sauté each vegetable in turn with a pinch of salt: carrots 2 minutes, courgette 2 minutes, mushrooms 4 minutes until golden. Finish the mushrooms with the remaining sesame oil.
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Step 5: Brown the beef
In the same pan, fry the beef over high heat for 5–6 minutes, breaking it up, until browned with caramelised edges and no pink left.
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Step 6: Mix the sauce
Stir the gochujang, sesame oil, rice vinegar, honey and water into a smooth, glossy sauce.
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Step 7: Fry the eggs
Fry the eggs sunny-side up in the remaining oil until the edges are crisp but the yolks still runny.
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Step 8: Assemble the bowls
Divide the rice between bowls and arrange the vegetables and beef on top in sections, with the egg in the middle. Add a spoonful of sauce and sprinkle with sesame. Mix everything together vigorously before eating.
Tips & variations
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Tip
For crispy rice like in a stone dolsot bowl, heat a cast-iron pan with 1 tbsp sesame oil, press in the rice and leave it over medium heat for 5–7 minutes until a golden crust crackles underneath.
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Swap
Gochujang is sold in Asian shops and increasingly in supermarkets. It’s hard to replace, but at a push mix 2 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp honey and 1 tsp soy sauce.
-
Swap
The Korean classic uses soybean sprouts, but mung bean sprouts are easier to find — they’re more delicate and cook faster.
-
Storage
The vegetables and beef can be made a day ahead and kept in separate containers in the fridge for up to 3 days. Cook fresh rice and fry the eggs just before serving.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 4 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 780 kcal | 3,120 kcal |
| Protein | 34 g | 136 g |
| Fat | 28 g | 112 g |
| Carbohydrates | 98 g | 392 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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