Bountiful Tofu Bibimbap
By Judy Joo
Published on 14 November 2025
Bibimbap is one of the most iconic Korean dishes. A pinwheel of vegetables nuzzled in a bed of steamed rice, topped with your protein of choice – it is a whole balanced meal in a bowl. While there are no hard and fast rules on what can go into this dish, it's a great opportunity to use seasonal vegetables or any leftovers you have in your food cupboard. So, have fun with this "mixed rice" dish!Time and servings
40 minsTotal time
4Servings
20 minsPrep time
20 minsCooking time
Ingredients
- 110g gochujang (Korean chilli paste)
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, plus extra to garnish
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 3 tbsp salad onions, finely chopped
- 800g steamed short-grain white rice
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 100g soya bean sprouts, tails and any brown pieces removed
- ½ courgette, halved lengthways and finely sliced
- 1 carrot, peeled and julienned
- 180g spinach
- 4 shiitake mushrooms, destemmed and cut into 5mm slices
- 115g cabbage kimchi, drained and cut into 2cm pieces
- 1 egg
Method
Step 1
First make the sauce. In a small bowl, stir together the gochujang, mirin, 1 tbsp roasted sesame seeds, 1 tbsp roasted sesame oil and the salad onions, until well incorporated, then set aside.Step 2
ext make the bibimbap. Place a heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat. Add the remaining 1 tbsp sesame oil and gently spread the rice over the base of the pan in a loose layer. Cook, undisturbed, for 8-10 mins or until the bottom of the rice develops a golden crust.Step 3
Meanwhile, in a medium non-stick frying pan, heat 1 tsp of vegetable oil over a medium-high heat. Add the bean sprouts and cook, stirring, until crisp-tender, about 2 mins. Season with salt to taste. Arrange the sprouts on the rice in a corner. Repeat with all the vegetables, cooking each one separately, adding a splash more oil as needed: courgette (2 mins), carrot (1 min), spinach (2 mins), then the mushrooms (2 mins). It is best to do the mushrooms last to avoid discolouring the other ingredients. Then arrange the kimchi in the final corner.Step 4
Finally, add 1 tbsp of oil to the pan and fry the egg. Place the fried egg in the centre of the dish. Spoon the sauce next to the egg, or serve on the side in a small bowl. Sprinkle the bibimbap with extra sesame seeds. Bring the pan to the table, set it on a trivet and mix everything together before spooning into bowls.