Beef Bibimbap with Quick Pickles and Gochujang
A colourful, comforting Korean rice bowl: caramelised beef, vibrant sautéed veg, quick-pickled cucumber and a glossy gochujang sauce.
Bibimbap is a joyful mix of textures and flavours — warm rice, crisp vegetables, savoury beef and a hit of spicy-sweet gochujang. It’s perfect for midweek cooking because the components come together quickly and you can do most prep while the rice cooks.
This recipe keeps the classic spirit: quick-pickled cucumber for brightness, caramelised bulgogi-style beef, separately cooked veg for distinct textures, and a simple gochujang dressing to tie it all together. Feed four hungry mouths or make extra for excellent next-day lunches.
Ingredients
- 300 g short-grain rice
- 450 ml water
- 5 g fine sea salt
- 40 ml vegetable oil
- 45 ml sesame oil
- 60 ml soy sauce
- 60 g gochujang
- 45 ml rice vinegar
- 30 g caster sugar
- 20 g brown sugar
- 4 garlic cloves — crushed
- 15 g fresh ginger — finely grated
- 400 g sirloin steak — thinly sliced across the grain
- 1 courgette — medium, julienned
- 2 carrot — medium, julienned
- 200 g baby spinach
- 150 g shiitake mushrooms — sliced
- 1 cucumber — small, thinly sliced
- 4 eggs
- 10 g toasted sesame seeds
- 2 spring onions — finely sliced
- black pepper — freshly ground, to taste
Instructions
Rinse the short-grain rice under cold water until the water runs clear. Drain, then combine the rice, water and 1 g fine sea salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to the boil over high heat, reduce to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for 12 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and leave the rice to steam, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.
Make the bulgogi-style marinade: in a bowl mix 30 ml soy sauce, brown sugar, 15 ml sesame oil, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 10 g grated ginger and finely sliced spring onions. Stir until sugar dissolves.
Toss the sirloin steak in the marinade, cover and leave to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Make the quick-pickled cucumber: toss the thinly sliced cucumber with 30 ml rice vinegar, 15 g caster sugar and a pinch (1 g) fine sea salt in a bowl. Leave to pickle while you cook the other components (about 20 minutes).
Whisk the gochujang sauce: combine gochujang, 15 ml sesame oil, 15 ml rice vinegar, 15 g caster sugar and 15 ml water until smooth. Stir in half the toasted sesame seeds and set aside.
Heat 1 tbsp (15 ml) vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the julienned courgette with a pinch fine sea salt for 2 minutes until just softened and lightly coloured. Transfer to a plate.
Add another splash of vegetable oil and sauté the julienned carrot for 3 minutes until tender-crisp. Transfer to a plate with the courgette.
Wilt the baby spinach in the pan with 1 tsp (5 ml) vegetable oil and a pinch fine sea salt for 1–2 minutes. Drain in a sieve, then press or squeeze excess moisture out with kitchen paper.
In the same pan, add 1 tbsp (15 ml) vegetable oil and sauté the sliced shiitake mushrooms with 1 crushed garlic clove for 4 minutes until browned. Finish with 1 tbsp (15 ml) soy sauce and a grind of black pepper, then remove.
Increase the heat to high. Add 1 tbsp (15 ml) vegetable oil and quickly sear the marinated sirloin in batches so it caramelises — about 3–4 minutes for thin slices. Remove and keep warm.
Wipe the pan, add 1 tbsp (15 ml) vegetable oil, crack in the eggs and fry sunny-side up until whites are set but yolks still runny, 2–3 minutes. Season with a little fine sea salt.
Assemble: divide the steamed rice between four bowls. Arrange courgette, carrot, wilted spinach, mushrooms, marinated cucumber and seared beef in sections on top of the rice. Place a fried egg in the centre, spoon a tablespoon or two of gochujang sauce over each bowl, drizzle with a little sesame oil and sprinkle with the remaining toasted sesame seeds and sliced spring onions. Mix thoroughly before eating.
Tips
- Slice the beef thinly and across the grain for the most tender bites — freeze for 10–15 minutes to make slicing easier if needed.
- Dry the spinach and vegetables thoroughly before assembly; excess water will make the rice soggy.
- Cook ingredients in separate batches and keep them warm on a low oven (80°C fan/100°C conventional) if preparing ahead for guests.
- Adjust the gochujang sauce: add more rice vinegar to cut the heat, or a little extra caster sugar for a sweeter finish.
- Leftover components store well: keep rice and toppings in separate containers in the fridge for up to 2 days; reheat the rice and assemble fresh, add a fresh fried egg.
Substitutions
sirloin steak → chicken thigh fillets, sliced thinly and marinated as per recipe
Stays closesoy sauce → tamari (equal quantity) for a gluten-free version
Stays closegochujang → a mix of 2 tbsp chilli paste and 1 tbsp miso (roughly), to approximate flavour if you don't have gochujang
Noticeably differentshort-grain rice → medium-grain rice, cooked the same way
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 800
- Calories
- 34 g
- Protein
- 72 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
- Sugar
- 900 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make this vegetarian?
Yes — replace the beef with firm tofu, pressed and pan-fried in the same marinade (increase soy by 10 ml). Use vegetarian-friendly gochujang.
How spicy is gochujang and can I tone it down?
Gochujang is spicy and umami-rich. Start with 1 tbsp per bowl and add more to taste. To reduce heat, mix it with a little extra rice vinegar and caster sugar.
Can I prepare components in advance?
Yes. Cooked rice and all toppings keep separately in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat rice thoroughly and crisp the toppings in a hot pan before assembly.
My rice is sticking/burns on the bottom — how to avoid?
Use a tight-fitting lid and a gentle simmer. If the pan has hot spots, lower the heat and finish the rice with the residual steam (the resting step).
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