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Korean Bibimbap Bowl

East Asian · 45 min · Medium · 2 servings

Korean Bibimbap Bowl

A warm rice bowl with each vegetable seasoned separately, crisp pan-fried tofu, and a sweet-sharp gochujang sauce stirred through at the table. The point is the contrast — you mix it all together yourself.

~1010 cal per serving — Calories are approximate, per serving — a guide only.

high-protein
Plan it:

Method

  1. 1

    Cook the rice

    ⏱ 20 min

    Rinse the rice until the water runs clear, then cook it with the water for the rice — bring to a boil, cover, drop to the lowest heat and leave it alone. Rest it off the heat, still covered, while you do everything else.

  2. 2

    Mix the sauce

    Stir the gochujang with its soy sauce and sesame oil, the rice vinegar and the maple syrup together in a small bowl until glossy. Loosen with a splash of water if it is stiffer than a ketchup.

  3. 3

    Crisp the tofu

    ⏱ 12 min

    Heat the oil for the tofu in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the tofu cubes without moving them until each side is golden, turning as they color. Season with the soy sauce for the tofu and set aside.

  4. 4

    Cook the mushrooms

    ⏱ 7 min

    In the same pan, add the oil for the mushrooms and the shiitake mushrooms. Fry until they have released their liquid and started to brown, then stir in half the garlic and the soy sauce for the mushrooms. Set aside.

  5. 5

    Season the greens

    ⏱ 5 min

    Wilt the spinach in the hot pan for a minute, squeeze out the excess water and toss it with half the remaining garlic, a pinch of salt and the sesame oil for the vegetables. Do the same with the beansprouts, blanching them for one minute first. Keep the carrot and cucumber raw, tossed with the last of the garlic and a pinch of salt.

  6. 6

    Build the bowls

    Spoon the rice into two bowls and arrange the tofu, mushrooms, spinach, beansprouts, carrot and cucumber in separate piles on top. Spoon over the gochujang sauce, scatter with scallion and sesame seeds, and stir everything together before eating.

Notes

Arranging the toppings in separate piles is not just for looks — each one is seasoned differently, and mixing at the table is the dish. Gochujang brands vary a lot in heat; start with less and add more.

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