Easy bibimbap
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 10 to 30 mins
- Serve
- Serves 2
- Dietary
- Vegetarian
Bibimbap is a Korean dish of rice topped with pickles, chilli sauce and veggies, making a colourful and nourishing meal in a bowl. Any leftovers are great for packed lunches.
Each serving provides 696 kcal, 22g protein, 84g carbohydrate (of which 30g sugars), 27g fat (of which 5g saturates), 10g fibre and 4.8g salt.
Ingredients
- basmati rice: 120g/4½oz brown basmati rice
- sesame oil: 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- eggs: 2 large free-range eggs
- cucumber: ¼ cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped
- kimchi: 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú kimchi
- sesame seeds: 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds, to garnish
For the quick pickled carrot
- carrot: 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
- rice wine: 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- caster sugar: ¼ tsp caster sugar
- sea salt: ¼ tsp sea salt
For the sweet chilli sauce
- gochujang: 2 tbsp gochujang (Korean fermented chilli paste)
- rice wine: 1½ tbsp rice wine vinegar
- honey: 1 tbsp runny honey
- sesame oil: 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
For the sesame spinach
- sesame oil: ½ tbsp toasted sesame oil
- garlic: 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
- spinach: 200g/7oz baby spinach leaves
- beansprouts: 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú beansprouts
- soy sauce: 1 tbsp soy sauce
- caster sugar: ½ tsp caster sugar
- sea salt: large pinch sea salt
Method
Cook the rice in boiling water for 20 minutes until tender and then drain.
Meanwhile, to make the pickled carrot, combine the carrot with the vinegar, sugar and salt in a small bowl. Set aside, stirring occasionally.
To make the chilli sauce, whisk together all the ingredients until smooth in a small bowl.
To make the sesame spinach, heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and fry the garlic until soft. Add the spinach, in batches if necessary, and gently fry for 5 minutes, or until wilted. Turn up the heat, and add the beansprouts, soy sauce, sugar and salt. Cook for 3–4 minutes, or until all the liquid has evaporated.
Just before serving, heat the sesame oil in a frying pan and fry the eggs, sunny side-up. Remove the pickled carrot from the bowl and pat dry on kitchen paper.
Divide the rice between two shallow bowls. Add the sesame spinach, cucumber, carrot pickle and kimchi. Top each bowl with a fried egg, a drizzle of chilli sauce and a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds.
Recipe tips
For a vegan version, swap the egg for some shiitake mushrooms fried with a splash of soy sauce or tamari and swap the honey for maple syrup.
Gochujang is a soy-based fermented Korean red chilli paste. Look for a Korean brand (often sold in a big red tub) because own-brand versions tend to be far too sweet.
