Beef Bibimbap with Gochujang Sauce
A colorful Korean rice bowl topped with seasoned beef, sautéed vegetables, a fried egg, and spicy-sweet gochujang sauce. Mix everything together and enjoy a complete meal in one bowl.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Servings
- 2
- Calories
- 587
- Protein
- 28g

Ingredients
- 1.5 cups cooked Short-grain white or brown rice
- ½ lb Ground beef (80/20)
- 3 tablespoons Soy sauce
- 1.5 tablespoons Sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons Gochujang (Korean red chili paste)
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 medium Zucchini
- 2 cups packed Spinach, fresh
- 1 medium Carrot
- 4 oz Shiitake mushrooms
- 2 large Eggs
- ½ teaspoon Rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Sesame seeds, white
Instructions
- 1
Place the zucchini on a cutting board and slice lengthwise into quarters (like cutting a cucumber in half, then cutting each half in half). Then slice each quarter crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces so they look like small sticks.
- 2
Place the carrot on a cutting board and slice lengthwise into thin sticks about 1/8-inch thick and 2 inches long, like matchsticks. You should have roughly a handful of carrot sticks.
- 3
Place each mushroom cap stem-side down on the cutting board and slice straight down through the cap into 1/4-inch-thick slices, like slicing bread. Discard any woody stems.
- 4
Mince the garlic until the pieces are smaller than a grain of rice — about the size of pencil-tip dots when you look at them on the cutting board.
- 5
In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 0.5 teaspoon sesame oil, and the minced garlic using a fork until evenly mixed. This is the beef marinade.
- 6
In another small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons gochujang, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and 2 tablespoons water until smooth, with no lumps. This is the sauce.
- 7
Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until it is hot — you should be able to hold your hand 3 inches above the surface for only 2–3 seconds before pulling away, about 2 minutes.
- 8
Add the ground beef to the hot skillet and break it into pea-sized pieces using a wooden spoon, stirring constantly. Cook until no pink remains and the meat is light brown, about 5 minutes.
- 9
Pour the beef marinade (soy sauce, sesame oil, and garlic mixture) over the cooked beef and stir for 30 seconds until the beef is evenly coated and smells fragrant.
- 10
Transfer the seasoned beef to a clean plate and set aside. Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel but do not wash it.
- 11
Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add the zucchini pieces and cook, stirring once every 30 seconds, until they turn golden and slightly soft, about 4 minutes. Transfer to the plate with the beef.
- 12
Add the carrot sticks to the same skillet and cook, stirring once every 30 seconds, until they soften slightly and the edges turn golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the plate.
- 13
Add the mushroom slices to the skillet and cook, stirring once every 30 seconds, until they release their liquid and turn dark golden brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer to the plate.
- 14
Place the spinach in the hot skillet — it will wilt immediately. Stir for 30 seconds until all the spinach has turned dark green and released its liquid. Transfer to the plate.
- 15
Add 1 tablespoon sesame oil to the same skillet over medium-high heat. Crack both eggs into the pan and cook without stirring until the whites turn opaque and set but the yolk is still runny, about 3 minutes.
- 16
Divide the cooked rice evenly between two large bowls, spreading it in an even layer on the bottom of each bowl.
- 17
Arrange the beef in a small pile on one side of the rice. Place the zucchini in a small pile next to the beef, then the carrot, then the mushrooms, then the spinach, each in its own small pile around the bowl.
- 18
Carefully slide one fried egg on top of the rice in the center of each bowl, placing it in the middle where all the vegetable and beef piles meet.
- 19
Spoon 1 tablespoon of the gochujang sauce on top of the egg in each bowl, allowing it to drip down onto the rice.
- 20
Sprinkle 1.5 teaspoons sesame seeds over the top of each bowl, distributing them evenly across the surface.
- 21
Serve the bowls to the table and drizzle 0.5 teaspoon rice vinegar over each one, then stir everything together with a spoon until well mixed before eating.
Tools you’ll need
- Cutting board
- Chef's knife
- Three small bowls
- Fork
- 12-inch skillet
- Wooden spoon
- Paper towels
- Two large bowls
- Spoon
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