Bibimbap With Tofu, Cucumbers, Spinach, Shiitakes and Carrots
Updated Feb. 2, 2023
- Total Time
- 1 hour 15 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1tablespoon Asian sesame oil
- ¼cup soy sauce
- 2tablespoons mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)
- 1tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1tablespoon minced or grated fresh ginger
- 1teaspoon sugar
- ¾pound tofu (to taste)
- 2tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1tablespoon sesame oil
- 2large garlic cloves, minced or puréed
- 2 to 3scallions, minced
- 1tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- Salt to taste
- Korean red pepper paste (kochujang) to taste (available at Korean markets) (optional)
- 2Persian cucumbers or ½ long European cucumber, thinly sliced
- 6ounces carrots (1 large), peeled and cut in matchsticks or grated
- 1large bunch spinach, stemmed, or 1 6-ounce bag baby spinach
- 6fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
- Soy sauce to taste
- 1tablespoon canola oil
- 1½ to 2cups brown rice, barley, quinoa or another grain of your choice, cooked (keep hot)
- 4eggs (optional)
- Korean red pepper paste (kochujang) to taste (available at Korean markets)
- 2sheets nori seaweed (kimgui), lightly toasted* and cut into thin strips (optional)
- 1tablespoon toasted sesame seeds or black sesame seeds
- Toast nori sheets (if not toasted already) by quickly passing them over a gas flame (hold with tongs) until crisp.
For the Tofu
For the Vegetables
For the Rice and Garnishes
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Preparation
- Step 1
Combine all of the tofu marinade ingredients in a 2-quart bowl. Whisk together well.
- Step 2
Drain the tofu and pat dry with paper towels. Cut into ½-inch-thick dominoes, blot again with paper towels and add to the bowl with the marinade. Gently toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes to an hour, or for up to a day.
- Step 3
Mix together the rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, scallions, sesame seeds and salt to taste in a small bowl or measuring cup. Add red pepper paste if desired. Set aside.
- Step 4
While the tofu is marinating, toss the cucumber with salt to taste and place in a colander in the sink for 15 to 30 minutes. Rinse and squeeze dry. Place in a bowl and toss with 2 teaspoons of the vinegar and sesame oil mixture. In a separate bowl, toss the carrots with 1 tablespoon of the vinegar and sesame oil mixture. Refrigerate both the cucumbers and carrots while you cook the tofu, spinach and mushrooms.
- Step 5
Wash the spinach and wilt in a large frying pan over high heat. Remove from the heat, press out excess water and toss in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of the vinegar and sesame oil mixture.
- Step 6
Heat a wok or large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat until a drop of water evaporates immediately on contact and add the canola oil. Stir-fry the tofu for 3 to 5 minutes, until lightly browned, and remove to a plate. Add the shiitakes to the pan, let sit without stirring for 1 minute, then stir-fry for another minute or two, until tender. Remove to a plate.
- Step 7
Fry the eggs in the hot pan or in a separate nonstick skillet until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny. Season with salt and pepper.
- Step 8
Heat 4 wide soup bowls. Place a mound of hot grains in the middle of each one and surround with the tofu and vegetables, as well as kimchi if desired, each ingredient in its own little pile. Place a fried egg and a small spoonful of chili paste on top of the rice and garnish with the toasted nori and sesame seeds. Serve at once. Diners should break the egg into the rice. Pass the chili paste and add more as desired.
- Advance preparation: You can do this in whatever order is convenient for you. The grains can be cooked ahead and reheated. The vegetables can all be prepared ahead and refrigerated, then reheated before serving. It's best to cook the tofu and mushrooms just before serving so they're nice and hot. But since this is often a way to use leftovers, you can also reheat.
Private Notes
Comments
A big fan of eating bibimbap at Korean restaurants, I decided to make it at home for the first time. It really turned out wonderfully - I just wish I had stone bowls at home so I could get that wonderful crunchiness on the rice that ends up on the bottom! The one replacement was I cooked a 75 deg sous-vide egg instead of a fried egg, and it was perfect. The only thing that confused me was the vinegar and sesame oil mixture - I used three scallions (green onions?) so it wasn't a very liquid mix.
If you take your cooked rice and press it in into a hot cast-iron skillet with some coconut oil, you've got the crunchy rice you desire for this dish. It takes a few minutes to crisp properly, so add this in your time. Extremely worth it! Delish.
I spent some time sitting through bibimbap recipes online, trying to find something good that wouldn't require a hundred steps and a trip to the Asian grocery store. This is it: the perfect balance of enough flavor and not too much work, seasoned with things I already had in the pantry. Most of the prep can be done ahead of time, so the actual cooking just takes a bit of time over the stove. Really tasty and satisfying, and nutritious too!
This was really good! Two tweeks - I used bok choy instead of spinach, and added grated daikon to the carrots. I also used more shiitake than called for - 6 just wasn’t enough. This one goes into the rotation.
Used baby bella mushrooms instead of shiitakes and added the leftover marinade after the mushrooms to the pan, which made the tofu and mushrooms amazingly flavourful. Also, definitely don’t skip the gochujang!
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