“Bibimbap is a popular Korean dish. The word literally means “stirred/mixed rice” or “stirred/mixed meal.” (It is also sometimes spelled “bibimba,” “bibimbab,”b-bop” or “bibimbop”).”

In my quest to make a fusion vegetarian bibinba recipe, last year I came up with a delicious recipe for vegetarian tempeh bulgogi that the DH and I enjoyed in a cold bibimbap rice salad.

However, my real passion for bibinba came about through my experience with what is called ishiyaki Bibinba in Japanese, or stone pot cooked Bibimbap. In Korean it is called Dolsot Bibimbap, or stone pot bibimbap. In this recipe you heat a stone pot with rice and other tasty toppings until the rice becomes crispy on the bottom and the pot is hot enough to cook an egg. The egg becomes mixed with the rice and cooked almost like a fried rice after you take it off the burner. I initially discovered ishiyaki bibinba in Japanese fast food courts, where you can order bibinba with such diverse toppings as “tuna mayo” or “pork” or, my personal favorite “cheese.” Later I learned that the spicy dark red topping added contains some amount of wheat, and the vegetable toppings may have small amounts of soy sauce, so I had to stop ordering it out, but I had become a woman obsessed. When we moved back to America, I brought two stone pots back with me and have since tried to replicate the experience several times. Adding cheese might be a fusion move, but hey, I think it adds a lot to the experience and texture of the dish, and if it is good enough for Japanese bibinba shops, it’s good enough for me.

This is one of those dishes that makes me happy to be alive. I am a sucker for hot food with lots of flavor, diverse veggies, and crispiness- and ishiyaki bibinba fits the bill perfectly. The recipe below is the closest I’ve gotten to the yumminess of take-out bibbinba, and I’d say if I could just approximate the Korean chili sauce Goshujang, it would be exactly right. Srirachi sauce with liberal amounts of kimchi, heated in the dish and then added at the end, does a good job of taking its place, though- and for me, the nori adds the perfect amount of depth and salty “fishy” flavor that completes the dish. I also found that extra sesame oil added to the rice as I mixed it really made the flavor pop. If you aren’t soy intolerant, a few drops of wheat-free tamari might be nice as well. The DH pronounced the meal a success, and at last, I was satisfied. Oh my love Bibinba, at last I can have you at home! And, since I used leftover veggies from my recent Korean Noodle Recipe, it wasn’t even that much work to make it.

Bibimbap Vocab:
namul (sautéed and seasoned vegetables)
namurus (side dishes)
gochujang (chili pepper paste)

Want to read More?
Check out this List of Korean Rice-based Dishes with description
A Bibimbap Recipe by Fat Free Vegan
A Rice Cooker Pescatarian Bibimbap Recipe (Sorry not veg but I was intrigued by the rice cooker aspect)
Good Pics of the bibimbap cooking setup, non veg recipe

Korean Vegetarian Dolsot Bibimbap Ishiyaki Bibinba Recipe Main Course  Rice  Vegetables  Japanese

Ingredients Short grained (sushi style) white rice cooked in a rice cooker [3 rice cooker cups uncooked will leave you with extra] Japanese or Korean toasted sesame oil and basting brush Vegetable toppings, see below srirachi sauce (if you can find Korean gochuchang that is gluten-free, please let me know because i’d love to find some) 2 raw eggs Grated Cheese, optional for Cheese bibinba/bibimbap, to taste nori, either in sheets or pre-cut into strips Extra kimchi for those that like it Various Vegetable Toppings: 1 pkg. Spinach peanut or other oil salt 1 Carrot, 1/3 burdock root or 2 carrots peanut oil salt 1 or 2 tbsp. mirin 2 large fresh portabella mushrooms, or equivalent shitake, oyster, or crimini mushrooms, sliced peanut or other oil, salt, pepper 1 lb bean sprouts 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions 3 tsp sesame oil 1/4 to 1/2 tsp Korean red pepper flakes 1/2 tsp sea salt Gluten Free Kimchi (most should be gluten-free, esp. if it doesn’t have MSG, but it may be harder to find a vegetarian kimchi. Look at yuppie grocery stores in refrigerator case or health food stores, or possibly at Asian markets, although authentic Korean markets may not carry vegetarian American kimchi) Necessary Equipment: Stone pots- you can find them at Korean markets or online- should be pre-seasoned like a cast iron pan, search online for instructions Lids for covering your stone pots Flame burner or, if you have a flattop electric stove a flame tamer Safe place for HOT stone pots like wooden cutting boards (not decorative) or cooling rack on towel+ something to protect your table (I used a cardboard cat scratcher under the towel, don’t laugh) Directions First, prepare veggies: Sautee spinach in a little oil and season with a little salt. Slice carrot and burdock into matchstick pieces or sliver using a mandoine. Then sautee in a little oil and season with salt. After a few minutes, add mirin and simmer for another few minutes. Sautee your favorite mushroom slices in oil and season with salt and pepper. Directions for bean sprouts: Rinse and drain sprouts. Fill large pan with water and bring to a boil. Add your fresh sprouts to the water, and simmer them for up to five minutes. Put back in the strainer and rinse with cold water. Drain them and pat them dry in a towel. Combine sprouts with scallions, sesame oil, red pepper and salt in a bowl and reserve. Flavor will improve as it sits. Prepare your rice in a rice cooker. Don’t forget to rinse the rice until the water runs clear before cooking. when it’s done, fluff the rice and reserve until all ingredients are ready. Once everything is prepared, baste the stone pots with sesame oil and partially fill with rice. Remember, you will ultimately need space to stir the ingredients together, so not too full. Then push the rice partway or all the way up the sides of the stone pot. Grab portions of each of your vegetables, arranging them neatly in a circle. Set raw egg and other seasonings near your cooling rack. Turn flame burner to medium high and put your stone pot (or pots if you have more than one flame burner) on the flame. Cover and leave for 10-15 minute. You should start to smell crisping rice towards the end. I like my rice crunchy and the stone pot needs to be HoT to cook the egg. when you think the rice is done (probably longer than you think), carefully cover your hands in protective gear (lots of towels, whatever) and remove pot from burner, moving to cooling rack. Act fast! Take two large metal spoons and stir the rice, moving it away from the sides of the bowl and break your raw egg into the space you’ve made, mixing it up. Spread it along the hot side as best you can and it should start to cook. Mix into the rice, but keep the egg on the hot sides as best you can. Keep mixing that bad boy up. Baste rice with sesame oil if you like, for additional flavor. Sprinkle with srirachi sauce or other thick GF hot sauce and add your cheese, stirring in so it melts. Top with nori strips and extra kimchi if you like and serve! *If you have two burners and both are ready at the same time, have your dining partner doctor his up at the same time you are. You don’t want the stone pot to cool before you add the egg, because it needs to cook. If you are worried about the egg not cooking thoroughly, use pasteurized eggs or omit. Add additional kimchi, cheese, sesame oil, hot sauce and nori as you like and if you find any part of it plain.* Notes I found this recipe for gochuchang paste online, and i’m wondering if it might turn out well using srirachi instead of the original paste and/ or doubanjiang, Sichuan broad bean paste. Srirachi sauce is gluten free, and I have occasionally found doubanjiang that seemed to be gluten-free. If anyone finds gluten-free gochuchang please let me know the brand!!! Substitute Gochuchang Paste (seasoned red pepper paste): 4 tablespoons srirachi sauce or doubanjiang 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon sesame seeds 2 teaspoons sesame oil Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Mix well. *paste recipe is the only untested part of this recipe- it’s more a future note in case I want to try it later* YOU WILL HAVE LEFTOVER VEGGIES, especially of the bean sprouts and mushrooms! You can make bibinba another day, make my Korean noodle recipe OR enjoy them on rice in a casual, non stone pot bibinba recipe. Feel free to make less topping quantity as needed.

Rating:  8 Original Source:  Based on my recipe for Korean noodles and tips I found online. Gluten-free, vegetarian variation is my own. Please do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Recipe ID:  1351 Added:  January 13, 2009 Last Modified:  January 13, 2009

This week the Gluten-Free menu swap is hosted by Fresh Ginger with an theme of LOCAL. I missed the Farmer’s Market this week so I’ll have to look for local ingredients at a health food store. I also always enjoy posting my menus with Org Junkie. Don’t forget that Cheryl is temporarily housing the Gluten Free Menu Swap at her blog GF Goodness.

Gluten-Free Corn-Rice Pasta with tomato sauce and pine nuts
Idli (Steamed indian rice lentil cakes) with a peanut sauce chutney
Cheap, quick and easy bibbinba dish

Monday: Korean
Stone Pot Bibbinba (Japanese Pronunciation of Bibimbap) with leftover veggies from below recipe- in a heated stone pot

Tuesday: Indian
Aloo Jeera
Paneer in tomato cashew gravy
Indian Special Rice

Thursday: American
Gluten-Free Veggie Burger (Amy’s Bistro) on GF Hamburger Buns with all the Fixings

Friday: Greek
Homemade GF egg noodles with Warm Tahini-Yogurt Sauce (p. 82 of Greek Vegetarian- converted)

Please remember to sign up for January’s Healthy Resolution Edition of Adopt a gluten-free Blogger!

Us at Yosemite and King Ra, twice.

This week I made a delicious Vegetarian Korean noodle salad with assorted vegetables, very similar to Bibbinbap but with noodles instead of rice. You could easily substitute rice for the noodles. The soy is very optional. This is a fusion-type interpretation of a traditional Korean dish. Enjoy!

Korean Noodle Jjapchae Recipe Main Course  Vegetables  Korean

Ingredients 2/3 package Cellophane Noodles (skinny noodles, either mung bean or rice and other starch) 1 pkg. Spinach peanut or other oil salt 3 Eggs, whisked together peanut or other oil 2 green onions, sliced salt pepper 1 Carrot, 1/3 burdock root or 2 carrots peanut oil salt 1 or 2 tbsp. mirin 2 large fresh portabella mushrooms, or equivalent shitake, oyster, or crimini mushrooms, sliced peanut or other oil, salt, pepper 1 lb bean sprouts 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions 3 tsp sesame oil 1/4 to 1/2 tsp Korean red pepper flakes 1/2 tsp sea salt Noodle Seasoning: Tiny amount of peanut oil 1 or 2 garlic cloves pressed 1/2 inch knob of fresh garlic, grated 2 tbsp. Low sodium wheat-free soy sauce, 2 tbsp. mirin 3 or 4 tsp sesame oil 1 tsp (or more) sugar pepper 3 or 4 green onions, sliced thinly Sesame Seeds GF Vegetarian kim chi (if you like it and can find it) Directions Pour hot water on noodles and soak for ten minutes or less. Sautee spinach in a little oil and season with a little salt. Heat oil in a fry pan and swirl around pan. Add whisked eggs and cook as if you’re making an omelet, sprinkling with green onions and seasoning with salt and pepper. Cut in half so you can turn over the pieces easily. Slice carrot and burdock into matchstick pieces or sliver using a mandoine. Then sautee in a little oil and season with salt. After a few minutes, add mirin and simmer for another few minutes. Sautee your favorite mushroom slices in oil and season with salt and pepper. Directions for bean sprouts: Rinse and drain sprouts. Fill large pan with water and bring to a boil. Add your fresh sprouts to the water, and simmer them for up to five minutes. Put back in the strainer and rinse with cold water. Drain them and pat them dry in a towel. Combine sprouts with scallions, sesame oil, red pepper and salt in a bowl and reserve. Flavor will improve as it sits. For noodles: Heat peanut oil in a wok or fry pan and add your pressed garlic and grated ginger, cooking. Then add your soy sauce, mirin, oil and sugar to the pan, letting it simmer. After it has simmered for a minute or two, add your soaked, drained noodles and combine. Season with pepper if desired. Turn as needed so sauce is not concentrated on bottom layer of noodles. Take off heat and season with sesame seeds and green onions. Top individual portions of noodles with all the vegetable toppings and let everyone mix their own together. Notes To make this recipe soy-free simply omit the soy sauce. You can also substitute short grain white rice for the noodles and, if desired, stir in a salt, sugar, and vinegar solution that has been heated on low so that the granules dissolve. You can also sprinkle the rice with a mixture of kosher salt flakes and black sesame seeds.

Rating:  9 Original Source:  Inspired by various recipes online, but ultimately my own creation. Please do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Recipe ID:  1350 Added:  January 10, 2009 Last Modified:  January 11, 2009

I had never heard of the Korean dish bibimbap before I moved to Japan, where it is called bibbinba (ビビンバ). Luckily, the food court at Saty (a department store/ grocery store/ mall) near our apartment had a food court with a wonderful bibbinba shop and I had the opportunity to try it. Once I tried it, I was hooked, although now that I know a little more, I realize that restaurant bibbinba probably will contain a small amount of (wheat based) soy sauce. However, it certainly looked safe and was a gloriously rice based dish, so I was thrilled to discover it. But what is bibbinba, or bibimbap?

“Bibimbap is a popular Korean dish. The word literally means “mixed rice” or “mixed meal”. (It is also sometimes spelled “bibimba,” “bibimbab” or “bibimbop”). Bibimbap is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with namul (sautéed and seasoned vegetables), beef, a fried egg, and gochujang (chile pepper paste). The ingredients are stirred together thoroughly just before eating. It can be served either cold or hot.

Vegetables commonly used in bibimbap include julienned cucumber, zucchini, mu (daikon), mushrooms, doraji (bellflower root), and gim, as well as spinach, soybean sprouts, and gosari (bracken fern stems). Dubu (tofu), either plain or sautéed, or a leaf of lettuce may be added, or chicken or seafood may be substituted for beef. For visual appeal, the vegetables are placed so that adjacent colors complement each other. Many areas of Korea typically serve a vegetarian version of the dish which may well be the more traditional alternative.” (source: Wikipedia)

Fast food Bibbinba chains in Japan carried a broad range of toppings, from tuna mayo, cheese, fish eggs, and of course varieties of meat. I stuck with “ishi-yaki Bibbinba, niku nashi” (Hot stone pot bibbinba, without meat), occasionally getting cheese as an extra topping. (Cheese make everything melty and extra crispy!) However, the diversity of offerings was impressive and enticing. What’s not to love about a stone pot, heated at high temperatures, filled with rice, vegetable and protein toppings, garnished with an egg that you crack over the pot, mix in and let get cooked and crunchy with the rest of the ingredients? They also served the bibbinba with a wonderful, light, salty sesame wakame broth that I’d love to replicate. I certainly ate (more than) my fair share of bibbinba while I was in Japan, and even bought some of the stone pots to bring back to the states with me. I haven’t perfected a hot stone pot bibbinba recipe yet, but the other night I decided to try making my own version of cool vegetarian bibimbap for dinner.

How to make bibimbap / bibbinba:
I made a fresh batch of rice, ideally fluffed and brought to room temperature, and then stir-fried, roasted and sauteed a variety of ingredients to be combined in my own version a classic Korean dish. I decided to use tempeh because I thought it would approximate the texture of ground beef that is often added to bibimbap, and modified a bulogi recipe for the marinade. However, you could also use tofu or use my favorite grilled tofu recipe, cubed or cut into strips, as a protein alternative. Sesame oil is the most important element in this recipe, but the toppings can be varied to taste. I love soybean sprouts, and fern bracken is traditional, but I didn’t have any on hand, so I left them out. Chili sauce (gochujang) is a vital element to the recipe, but most traditional korean brands contain wheat. You can use Japanese kimchi chili seasoning or a thai or vietnamese chili garlic sauce. They will usually be thinner than gochujang, but will add the heat that really makes this dish sing. Alternatively, you can make your own gochujang. I plan to come up with a recipe for this in the future, but haven’t gotten around to it yet. The nice thing is, the toppings make great leftovers with extra rice, or you can cook up another batch of rice and have bibbinba all over again for lunch or even breakfast. (Sounds good to me!)

I served my bibbinba in Indian tiffin containers, making this a true experiment in fusion cuisine. We had an Indonesian protein (tempeh), with Korean vegetables, and Japan-grown rice served in an Indian container. The tasty, light flavors of Korean vegetables complimented the heavier taste of seasoned veggies and tempeh, and all together, the dish contained a harmonious blend of flavors that was a delight to consume. So the next time you can’t bear another plate of rice and beans, or vegetable sushi- why not try rice a whole new way, inspired by the mixed rice tradition of Korea? The fresh-tasting vegetables, sesame oil and hot sauce will make your mouth happy, and the rice will fill your stomach- what’s not to like about that?

Make Bibbinba with Maang Chi:

Japanese Video “documentary” on Ishi-yaki bibinba (J), aka Dolsot Bibimbap (K) or Stone pot Mixed Rice:

Pescatarians may enjoy my recipe for kimchi stew from my post on fusion onigiri.

AND Don’t forget to Enter my Contest for a free Bette Hagman or vegetarian cookbook!

Korean Vegetarian Bibinbap Recipe Main Course  Rice  Korean

Ingredients 3 cups cooked, short grain rice (fresh from rice cooker) Sesame seeds 2 tbsp. brown sugar 1/2 tsp salt or less 1/2 tsp black pepper Toasted sesame oil 1/2 to 1 cup Spinach (more if you want spinach leftovers) 1 Sweet Red Pepper, cut into squares Green Onions, cut into large pieces Optional- cucumber, fern bracken, soy bean sprouts Optional- 1 egg per serving (2 for 2 people, 3 for 3 etc.) Tempeh or Tofu Bulogi (recipe follows) Sesame mushrooms (recipe follows) Sesame green beans (recipe follows) kimchi (gluten-free, read container carefully) hot chili sauce (most Korean varieties contain wheat flour as thickener so you may want to use a Thai etc. chili garlic sauce) Directions Prepare tempeh, mushrooms, green beans etc. Start your rice in the rice cooker. White rice is most typical, but you can also use short-grained brown rice. Combine brown sugar, salt and pepper. Clean and dry spinach, red pepper etc. Put spinach on a plate or in a bowl and mix with some of the brown sugar mixture. Pour a bit of sesame oil on your spinach and evenly distribute it over the leaves. Stir-fry your spinach in a cast iron pan or wok until bright green and lightly done. Remove from pan and reserve. Season your red pepper in the same way (with brown sugar mixture and sesame oil), stir-fry, and reserve. Do the same thing with the rest of your plain vegetables. To plate, fluff your rice, place in a bowl and top with assorted veggies and tempeh/tofu. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Fry your egg in a little sesame oil and place on top of the veggies and tempeh. (optional) Add a dollop of chili sauce if desired, and serve.

Rating:  8 Original Source:  Inspired by The best of Korean Cuisine, Cooks Illustrated, and a variety of online sources. Recipe ID:  1183 Added:  January 24, 2008 Last Modified:  January 25, 2008

Vegetarian Korean Tempeh Bulgogi Recipe Side Dish  Tofu  Korean

Ingredients 1/8 cup GF low sodium tamari (san-j etc.) 1 tbsp. mirin 1/2 tsp sugar 1 1/2 tbsp. grated apple 1 or 2 green onions, thinly sliced 1 lg clove garlic, pressed 1 tbsp sesame oil 1 tsp black pepper 1 package gluten-free tempeh (read label) sesame seeds 1 tbsp. sesame oil or more for frying, add peanut oil if you like Directions Combine above marinade ingredients. Steam tempeh according to directions on package, and slice into thin strips. Marinate for as long as possible, ideally at least three hours. Either baste tempeh in sesame oil and grill, OR heat sesame oil in cast iron pan and fry, turning over once when browned. Remove from pan and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Reserve for recipe. Can be crumbled or eaten as is. Notes Quantity of marinade can be increased if you like- this is a bit skimpy for the larger packages of tempeh.

Rating:  6 Original Source:  inspired by non-vegetarian recipe found online Recipe ID:  1185 Added:  January 25, 2008 Last Modified:  January 25, 2008

Korean Roasted Sesame Green Bean Recipe Side Dish  Vegetables  Korean

Ingredients 1 lb green beans, washed and patted dry 1 tbsp. oil of choice salt 1 tbsp. minced garlic 1 tsp. minced fresh ginger 2 tsp. honey 1/2 tsp. toasted sesame oil 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes toasted sesame seeds Directions Line baking sheet with aluminum foil. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Put your green beans on your baking sheet and drizzle oil on beans, mixing beans around so oil gets evenly distributed. Season with a pinch of salt and roast in oven for ten minutes. Combine garlic with other ingredients in a large or medium bowl. After green beans have roasted for ten minutes, take them out and use tongs to put them in the bowl. Combine green beans with seasoning, using large spoon or tongs to mix them. Put green beans back on your baking sheet and roast for another 10 or 12 minutes. Notes This will make a side dish serving for four, so you can use a little in your bib bimbap recipe and then use the rest later for lunches or snacks.

Rating:  8 Original Source:  Based on Cooks Illustrated article Recipe ID:  1186 Added:  January 25, 2008 Last Modified:  January 25, 2008

Sesame Ginger Mushroom Recipe Side Dish  Vegetables  Korean

Ingredients 2 tbsp peanut oil 1 1/2 lbs mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and quartered 1 tbsp sesame seeds 1 tbsp minced or grated fresh ginger 2 tbsp mirin 1 1/2 tbsp wheat-free tamari (San-J) 1 tsp. sesame oil 2 green onions, sliced thinly Directions Heat half of your peanut oil on medium in a cast iron pan or wok until hot and add mushrooms, stirring for about five minutes. Turn up heat a little and cook for a little while longer, then adding rest of your peanut oil and stirring. Cook for another five minutes or so. Add sesame seed and ginger, heat and then add mirin and tamari, stirring until liquid dissipates. Take off heat and season with sesame oil and green onions.

Rating:  8 Original Source:  Based on Cooks Illustrated article Recipe ID:  1187 Added:  January 25, 2008 Last Modified:  January 25, 2008