Classic Korean Bibimbap

Prep: 30 mins

Cook: 40 mins

Total: 70 mins

Servings: 4 servings

Bibimbap is arguably one of the most well-known Korean dishes around the world. What makes this meal stand out? Not only is it a Korean classic, but it’s also delicious, beautifully colorful, and easily tweaked for endless variations.

A combination of the Korean words for mixing (bibim) and rice (bap), bibimbap calls for combining rice with an assortment of vegetables. It’s typically served with scoops of vegetable neatly laid out on top of the rice, then mixed tableside. To eat, add a small amount of sesame oil and desired amount of gochujang to your finished bowl and mix everything together with a spoon.

What Are the Ingredients for Classic Bibimbap?

Bibimbap is known for its versatility, but there are several classic ingredients. The dish typically features a mix of cooked vegetables, such as sautéed carrots and mushrooms, along with seasoned vegetables (known as namul in Korean), like spinach and mung bean sprouts.

While optional, if you want to add meat, both raw—the most traditional preparation—and cooked meat work well. Koreans usually eat this rice dish with some beef.

What Kind of Rice Is Best for Bibimbap?

Korean cuisine typically calls for medium or short-grain rice. Medium-grain rice, also known as Calrose rice, is not quite as starchy as short-grain rice (the one used for sushi), but the two are often used interchangeably.

Gochujang, a Versatile Korean Pantry Staple

Gochujang, a fermented chile pepper paste, is an essential ingredient in the Korean pantry. Here, a dollop of gochujang is added to the bibimbap before it’s mixed, adding a nice kick of heat to each spoonful of rice and vegetables. Now that you have a tub in the fridge, consider using gochujang in any of these delicious recipes:

Gochujang Vinaigrette
Chogochujang Dipping Sauce
Yukaejang (Spicy Beef Soup)
Daeji Bulgogi (Spicy Pork)
Spicy Korean Coleslaw

«Preparing the different vegetables takes some time, but the resulting bowls of bibimbap are so colorful and delicious! There was a wonderful mixture of textures and flavors, and you can add as much or as little gochujang as your palate can handle. I also cooked some marinated beef from my local Korean market and a fried egg to make it an even more filling meal.» —Patty Lee

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

2 cups medium-grain Korean, or Japanese rice
1 large cucumber, sliced into thin strips
1 1/2 cups mung bean sprouts
1 teaspoon salt, divided, more as needed
4 teaspoons sesame oil, divided, more as needed
2 dashes sesame seeds, divided
1 pound spinach
2 medium carrots, sliced into thin strips
10 shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated if dried, sliced
1 medium zucchini, sliced into thin strips
1/2 pound cooked beef, optional
Fried or medium-soft boiled eggs, optional
Gochujang, or red pepper paste, for serving

Steps to Make It

Gather the ingredients.
Cook the rice in a rice cooker or on the stovetop.
Place the cucumbers in a strainer set over a bowl and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Toss with your hands and let stand for about 20 minutes. Rinse under running water, then drain.
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the mung beans and blanch for 30-60 seconds, until slightly wilted at the tips but still crunchy. Scoop out with a slotted spoon and transfer to a small bowl.

Cool until safe enough to handle, then gently squeeze of excess water over the sink. Season bean sprouts with 2 teaspoons sesame oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a dash of sesame seeds.
Return the pot of water to a boil and add the spinach in handfuls. Cook until the spinach has wilted, 1-2 minutes. Scoop out with a slotted spoon and transfer to a medium bowl.

Cool until safe enough to handle, then squeeze the spinach of excess water over the sink. Season with the remaining 2 teaspoons sesame oil, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the remaining sesame seeds.
Add a drizzle of oil to a pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the carrots with a dash of salt until tender, but still crunchy, about 2 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
Next, sauté the mushrooms with a dash of salt, adding more oil if needed. Cook until soft and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add a drizzle of oil to the pan. Sauté the zucchini with a dash of salt until tender, about 4 minutes.
Place the cooked rice in a large bowl and arrange vegetables on top.
If desired, beef, egg, or both can be placed in the center.
Serve each helping with small bowls of gochujang and sesame oil.

Recipe Variations

This recipe includes 6 vegetables, but you can instead make it with just 3 or 4 veggies or with whatever you happen to have in your fridge.
Substitute the white rice with brown rice, if desired.
You can also top bibimbap with just an egg fried sunny-side up. The reason this dish is so popular is that it’s not only very tasty, but it’s also completely versatile.

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	252
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g	10%
Saturated Fat 1g	6%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 567mg	25%
Total Carbohydrate 42g	15%
Dietary Fiber 4g	13%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 17mg	85%
Calcium 48mg	4%
Iron 1mg	8%
Potassium 577mg	12%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.