Vegetarian Bibimbap

When I think about some of my all time favorite foods, most of them include rice in some form or the other. A nice big bowl of steaming rice made in any style and with any flavor is bound to satisfy me on any given day.

Bibimbap  is no exception. This Korean dish is hugely popular not just in Korea but also around the world now. It usually includes steaming rice with a selection of seasonal vegetables, meat and egg. Since I’m a vegetarian I left the meat out but substituted it with tofu.

It is quite a nutritious meal since it includes a variety of vegetables that are cooked simply to retain their natural flavors. There’s a good amount of carbs from the rice as well as protein from the egg and the tofu so you’ll find it remarkably flavorful and nutritious with a variety of textures and flavors.

Another great reason to love this vegetarian bibimbap is that it is a fairly flexible recipe. Choose whatever vegetables are in season and it will taste just as good. One thing you do have to keep in mind though is that bibimbap will not be the same if you omit a very important  ingredient- gochujang. This thick, red paste is basically a fermented red chili paste that is sweet, spicy and is totally addictive. You can find gochujang in any Asian grocery store or even order it online.

Now this is a slightly different recipe because it has to be made based on what you prefer so there are no set measurements to follow. Each vegetable is quickly stir fried in a bit of oil along with salt and pepper to taste. I’ll provide a basic recipe as much as I can but don’t be afraid to eyeball stuff instead of following set measurements.

Priyanka

Yields 4 Servings

Vegetarian Bibimbap

Korean comfort food with stir fried rice, an assortment of vegetables and spicy gochujang sauce. Delicious and nutritious!

20 minPrep Time

20 minCook Time

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Ingredients

Rice:
• 2 cups cooked white rice (I prefer using medium grain)
• 2 chopped garlic cloves
• salt to taste
• 1/4 tsp chili flakes
• sesame oil
Toppings:
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms (use any variety you like. I used regular button mushrooms)
• 1/4 cup carrots julienned
• 1 yellow bell pepper julienned
• 2 cups spinach
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 4 ounces firm tofu cut into strips
• 2 eggs
• 1 garlic clove chopped
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• Drizzle of soy sauce
• Sesame oil
• Salt to taste
• White sesame seeds
• Gochujang paste

Instructions

1. For the rice, heat sesame oil in a large pan. Add chopped garlic and cook until the raw aroma goes away.
2. Add rice to the pan along with chili flakes and salt to taste. Cook until heated through and mixed thoroughly. Cover and keep aside.
3. In a bowl, add the strips of firm tofu along with the brown sugar and soy sauce. Mix thoroughly and leave to marinate for about 15 minutes.
4. Heat sesame oil in a pan and once hot add the marinated tofu. Cook until browned and crisp from all sides.
5. For the spinach, heat sesame oil in a pan and add 1 chopped garlic clove. Cook for a couple of minutes and add the spinach and salt. Cook just until the spinach has wilted.
6. Cook the mushrooms, carrots and bell peppers one by one the same way. Heat sesame oil, stir fry the veggies for 3-4 minutes and season with salt to taste.
7. Cook the two eggs sunny side up in a bit of oil and season with salt.
8. To serve, place the cooked rice in a bowl. Top with the egg, tofu, spinach, mushrooms, carrots, bell peppers, bean sprouts and some gochujang paste. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Mix everything thoroughly before eating.

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