A Bibimbap Bowl Party
[I threw this fun Build -Your-Own Bibimbap Bowl Party for Earth Fare!]
I’m back at it with the Bibimbap!
Do you guys remember those bibimbap bowls I made with duck eggs a while back? Making those bowls really got me addicted to bibimbap, and they’ve quickly become a favorite at our house.
Bibimbap is a Korean comfort food dish that translates to “mixed rice.”
To make a bibimbap bowl you start with a base of rice, and then top it with meat and/or an egg, plus all the colorful veggies you can pile on.
There’s no strict set of rules and the toppings are endless, which is why these bowls are great for a party!
Bibimbap bowls make the perfect centerpiece for a dinner party because they’re so interactive. (I love anything with a “build-your-own” theme.) Plus everyone can get in on the cooking!
You and your friends are all up in there together—a little chopping, a little sautéing, a little bonding—and before you know it, you’re eating something super delicious that you made together. 🤗
A while back I had a low key bibimbap bowl party at my house with a couple of my girlfriends. It was so fun that I’ve been dying to create it for the blog ever since.
So here’s how the bibimbap bowl party goes down:
After you’ve got your rice going, you’ll want to round up all of your veggie toppings and divvy out the prep work. In the recipe I included a few of my favorite add-ons, but the beauty of bibimbap is its versatility.
You can go with whatever you love—or happen to have on hand. These bowls are actually a perfect way to use up random leftover veggies you might have, so go wild and clear out the fridge!
For the ultimate bibimbap, go for a lot of different flavors, colors, and textures.
You’ll want to include some raw veggies. For my raw ingredients (cucumber, beet, and radish) I sliced and shredded, then added them to a dish with a bit of rice vinegar to give them a quick “pickle.”
You can skip that step if you want, but I really like the bright pop the vinegar brings to the rest of the bowl.
Then for the cooked components. For these bowls, I sautéed some zucchini, shiitake mushrooms, carrots, cabbage, and a handful of greens in sesame oil with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Don’t forget the spicy toppings for some heat! It wouldn’t be a bibimbap bowl without some kimchi (Korean fermented cabbage) and gochujang (a sauce made from red chili paste.)
I make kimchi at home a lot, but this time I went for convenience and bought some ready made from the grocery store. I love the tang and it’s so good for gut health!
I also like to make my own version of gochujang sauce because the store-bought ones usually usually contain corn syrup and some other questionable ingredients.
It’s really simple to make, but if you prefer you can always just use siracha sauce!
Once everyone has combined forces and prepped the toppings, you can start to build your bibimbap bowls!
This is the 2nd most fun part (right after eating them.)
Duh.
Each bowl gets topped with a fried egg. I have used duck eggs in the past, but this time I went with chicken eggs. (Just get a really good quality egg so that the yolk is amazing!)
PRO TIP: Keep the yolk runny! When you mix all the ingredients together, a nice soft yolk will swirl around with everything and make you do a happy dance.
To keep my yolks really soft, I fry the egg for 1-2 minutes, then add a *small* splash of water to the pan and cover with a lid. The steam will set the egg whites quickly and keep your yolks nice and runny. 😋
After you add the eggs, everyone can go to town with the toppings they love the most!
The idea is to make your bowl look pretty, then stand back and admire it for approximately 3 seconds…
Maybe snap a quick pic for Instagram…
Then you MIX!
I mean, really get a tornado going in your bowl.
All those ingredients (that are good on their own) come together to make something even better. The perfect hodgepodge of flavors, textures, and colors.
Which is a convenient metaphor for friendship, no?
Gather up your closest buds and get to mingling!
Ingredients
For the bowls
- 2 cups short grain rice
- 4 eggs
- Kimchi (Korean fermented cabbage)
- Toasted sesame oil
- Rice wine vinegar
Veggie topping options
- 1-2 carrots, julienned
- 1 zucchini, julienned
- A few handfuls of spinach or other greens
- 1-2 cups sliced red cabbage
- 4 sliced scallions
- Several shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
- 1 cucumber, sliced
- 1 small beet, grated
- Several radishes, sliced
- mung bean sprouts
For the homemade red chili sauce (gochujang sauce)
- 1/4 cup crushed Korean red pepper*
- 2-4 cloves garlic, grated or finely minced
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons organic white miso
- 2 teaspoons arrowroot starch
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons Coconut Aminos
Instructions
For the red chili sauce
- In a small dish, whisk arrowroot powder with water. Add to a small saucepan with remaining sauce ingredients.
- Warm sauce over medium heat, stirring until it just begins to thicken (3-4 minutes). Remove from heat and transfer to a serving dish.
For the bowls
- Rinse rice and add to a pot with 2 cups of water. Cover, bring to a bowl, and reduce heat. Cook for 18-20 minutes and remove from heat. Reserve.
- While rice cooks, prepare the bibimbap toppings: Add sliced radishes, shredded beet, and sliced cucumbers to their own serving dishes and drizzle with rice wine vinegar. Allow to sit while you prepare the other veggies.
- Heat a pan over medium heat and add sesame oil, zucchini, salt and pepper. Saute for 1-2 minutes and transfer to a dish. Repeat with carrots, mushrooms, greens, and cabbage.
- Once all the vegetables are cooked, add more sesame oil to the pan and fry the eggs just until the whites are set (and the yolks are still runny).
- Fill bowls with rice and drizzle a little sesame oil over top. Top the rice with one egg and allow everyone to add their favorite toppings! Don’t forget the kimchi and sauce!
Notes
You can find crushed Korean red pepper at most international markets
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