Bibimbap Recipe - NYT Cooking
- Rating
- 4
(272) - Notes
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A Korean dish of marinated meat, colorful vegetables and runny eggs arranged over a bed of fluffy rice, bibimbap is an edible work of art. The banchan, or side dishes, that are piled on top can vary, but this version includes tender beef bulgogi, meaty shiitake mushrooms, crisp bean sprouts, tender spinach, crunchy carrots and cool cucumbers. A spicy-sweet gochujang sauce is drizzled over the top, then everything is mixed together (bibim means "to mix" and bap means "rice" in Korean), breaking open the egg yolk to lend a rich creaminess to the dish. Be sure to scrape up the crunchy grains from the bottom of the pan, and serve with a side of kimchi, if you’d like, for even more texture.
Ingredients
- 12- to 16-ounce strip steak
- 2garlic cloves, peeled
- 1small onion, peeled and quartered
- 1medium Asian pear, cored and quartered
- 1(½-inch) piece ginger
- ¼cup soy sauce
- 2tablespoons brown sugar, lightly packed
- 2tablespoons mirin
- 1tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- ½teaspoon black pepper
- 2cups uncooked short-grain rice
- 3cloves garlic, peeled and finely grated
- ¼cup gochujang paste
- 3tablespoons mirin
- 1tablespoon soy sauce
- 1tablespoon sesame oil
- 1tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1(12-ounce) package bean sprouts
- 3garlic cloves
- 1¾teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- 6teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 3teaspoons soy sauce
- 1(5-ounce) package baby spinach
- 1teaspoon sesame seeds
- 8ounces shiitakes, stemmed and cut into ½-inch-thick slices
- 1tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1½teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1English cucumber, thinly sliced
- 2tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- Crushed red pepper, to taste
- 1large carrot, peeled and thinly sliced into matchsticks
- 2large eggs
- 1scallion, trimmed and thinly sliced, for serving
- Toasted seaweed, for serving (optional)
- Kimchi, roughly chopped, for serving (optional)
For the Bulgogi and Rice
For the Gochujang Sauce
For the Banchan and Additional Toppings
Preparation
- Step 1
Prepare the bulgogi: Wrap the steak in plastic wrap or place on a clean plate. Place in the freezer until firm, about 20 minutes. This will make it easier to thinly slice.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, add garlic, onion, pear, ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, mirin, 1 tablespoon of the oil and black pepper in a blender. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl or resealable container until steak has firmed in the freezer.
- Step 3
Once steak has firmed, remove from the freezer and, using a sharp knife, very thinly slice across the grain. Toss sliced beef in the marinade and set aside for 30 minutes and up to 4 hours. If marinating longer than 30 minutes, transfer the meat to the refrigerator. (Bring to room temperature 45 minutes before cooking.)
- Step 4
Meanwhile, prepare the rice: Rinse the rice in a fine-mesh strainer until the water runs clear, then transfer it to a medium saucepan. Add 2¼ cups water and bring to a boil over medium-high. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until most of the water has been absorbed, about 4 minutes. Turn off the heat with the lid on and let sit until rice is cooked through and fluffy, 12 to 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside, covered. (Alternatively, use a rice cooker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.)
- Step 5
Make the gochujang sauce: In a medium bowl, stir garlic, gochujang paste, mirin, sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar and sugar until well combined. This can be made up to 2 days ahead.
- Step 6
Prepare the banchan: For the bean sprouts, finely grate 1 garlic clove into a medium bowl. In a medium saucepan, bring 3 cups water and ½ teaspoon salt to a boil over high heat. Add the bean sprouts to the saucepan and cook until softened and slightly translucent, about 3 minutes. Using tongs or chopsticks, transfer to the bowl with the garlic, along with 2 teaspoons sesame oil and 1 teaspoon soy sauce, and toss until combined. Reserve the cooking liquid in the saucepan.
- Step 7
For the spinach, return the reserved bean sprouts cooking liquid to a boil over high heat. Add the spinach and stir until wilted, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat. Using tongs or chopsticks, transfer the spinach to a colander. Rinse under cold water until cool, then gently squeeze out excess water. Transfer to a small bowl and toss with 1 teaspoon sesame oil and ¼ teaspoon salt until combined. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon sesame seeds.
- Step 8
For the mushrooms, mince 2 cloves of garlic. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a (12-inch) cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Add shiitake mushrooms and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they have softened and started to brown, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until slightly golden, about 30 seconds. Stir in 2 teaspoons of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil. Cook for 1 minute and transfer to a small bowl. Turn off the heat and reserve the skillet for assembly.
- Step 9
For the cucumber, in a medium bowl, combine cucumber, 2 tablespoons vinegar, crushed red pepper (to taste), ½ teaspoon sugar and ½ teaspoon salt. Toss until well combined.
- Step 10
When ready to cook the bulgogi, heat 2 teaspoons of oil in the reserved skillet over medium-high. Once hot, remove the beef from the marinade and gently shake off any excess liquid. Add half of the beef to the skillet and cook until slightly charred and cooked through, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining beef.
- Step 11
Assemble bibimbap: To the cast-iron skillet, drizzle in 2 teaspoons sesame oil and swirl the pan to fully coat the bottom. Add the cooked rice and spread out into an even layer. Try not to pack in the rice; it should stay fluffy. Turn the heat on to low.
- Step 12
In a small, nonstick skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of oil over medium-high heat. Crack the eggs into the skillet and fry until the whites are cooked through and the edges are slightly crispy, 4 to 5 minutes. The egg yolks should still be runny. Slide the eggs into the center of the skillet, on top of the rice.
- Step 13
While the eggs are frying, arrange the bulgogi, carrots, bean sprouts, spinach, shiitake mushrooms and cucumber on top; each component should be in its own sector until ready to mix. Scatter scallion and ½ teaspoon of sesame seeds on top. Drizzle with some of the gochujang sauce.
- Step 14
Turn off the heat under the skillet. Pierce the egg yolks, and toss with all the components. The heat from the pan will create a crust on the bottom and help cook the runny yolk. Divide among the bowls and serve immediately, topped with kimchi, toasted seaweed and additional gochujang sauce, if desired.
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A thing about bibimbap… it doesn’t have to be this elaborate or time consuming unless you’re preparing it for a dinner party. The beauty of bibimbap (mixed rice) is that you can add whatever leftover greens, veggies and protein you have, then the gochujang and fried egg will give it the next-level oomph. The key is not over thinking it. Just make sure your gochujang is delicious and you drizzle good sesame oil at the end.
Raw carrots in bibimbap? A blasphemy; no Koreans add raw carrots in their bibimbap. Less can be more; don't over indulge on seasoning and toppings. Think of Zen. A simpler approach here. Blanch veggies then mix/toss them using your hand, with some of the seasoning mentioned along with a little garlic and sesame oil, then add a bit of light soy and a bit of gochujang to taste as it can overpower everything else. Use chopsticks to mix. Add that runny egg or some protein as needed. Enjoy.
I got exhausted just reading the 14 steps in this recipe! I love Bibimbap but think I'll get it at a restaurant ...
I love Korean food and have had the great fortune to have had an older Korean family member who was a fantastic cook. She died recently at 102 yrs and is greatly missed. Although she NEVER used sugar (or msg) in her cooking she did use Korean pear sometimes. I really dislike sugar in my food unless it is a desert. Why do all the modern Korean recipes call for sugar???
I like the idea of mixing all in the skillet and serving it mixed. Much simpler and faster to serve. I’ve always served individual rice and put all other element’s separately on the table for each person to take what they’d like and mix together.
Try Eric Kim's Sheet-Pan Bibimbap. So simple and so good. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1022131-sheet-pan-bibimbap
I would really love for someone else to make this for me.
I got exhausted long before the recipe.
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