Korean Bibimbap Bowls with Cauliflower Rice

In my household, bowls are the new plates. Call me crazy, but I’ve started to eat all my dinners from bowls. I just love the idea of mixing huge portions of veggies with a little protein (meat, seafood, eggs, etc) in a bowl and stirring it all together with a dollop of sauce or dressing. With this method, you are guaranteed to get a little taste of everything in each bite (aka a party in your mouth). But what I love the most about big ol’ veggie bowls is that they make for an extremely healthy and filling meal.

I’m sure you can see where I’m headed with the new blog destination. In the coming weeks, I’m going to share some of my favorite bowl-friendly recipes. And, since summer’s on the horizon, we’re going to keep it light with healthy and (mostly) low carb recipes.

To start off this destination, I’ve prepared a healthier take on my all-time favorite Korean dish, Bibimbap (pronounced bee-bim-bop). It’s basically a bowl of sautéed vegetables and bulgogi (Korean beef) that’s topped with a fried egg and served with a side of sticky rice and a bottle of sweet, fermented red pepper sauce. It sounds complicated and a bit exotic, but believe me when I say –You can totally make this dish with familiar foods you can find in your grocery store.

Let’s break it down:

• Veggies: I used veggies that I’ve typically seen in the bibimbaps I’ve eaten in restaurants. But you can easily adapt this recipe and use any vegetables you have on hand. Cucumbers, cabbage, kale, brussels sprouts, broccoli…you name it, it will work in this dish. Keep in mind that you may need to adjust the sauté time. Cruciferous vegetables will probably need about 5 minutes in the pan.

• Bulgogi: Traditionally, this is thinly sliced grilled beef that’s been marinating in an amazing soy sauce-based sauce for up to 8 hours. But who wants to wait that long for delicious grilled beef? Not I. This Quick and Easy Bulgogi (Korean Beef) will do the trick. Sauté lean ground turkey or beef, add the simple marinade, and stir. Fraction of the time. Insane flavor retained. Boom. Done.
• Fried egg: Either you want it or you don’t. I want it all the time on everything.
• Sticky rice: I get into trouble with this part because I always end up eating my own large portion and then swiping some of my husband’s. To avoid this situation, I like to make cauliflower rice. Cut your cauliflower into large florets and use a food processor to grind them up into rice-like pieces. Eat it raw or sauté for a warm and softened “rice.”

• Red pepper sauce: aka Gochujang (pronounced go-chew-jung). It’s like a mix between BBQ sauce, chutney, and sriracha. I’ve seen it in most mainstream grocery stores in the Asian food aisle. But if you can’t find it, use what you have on hand. Any of the condiments I just mentioned would work just fine!

So there you have it! A colorful veggie-packed bowl with some insanely flavorful beef, a drippy fried egg, healthy cauliflower rice and a sweet and tangy punch of red pepper sauce. Grab some chopsticks and dig in!

5.0 from 1 reviews

Korean Bibimbap Bowls with Cauliflower Rice

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

Author: Krista

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 4 medium carrots sliced into matchsticks
• 2 medium zucchini, sliced into matchsticks
• 1 red pepper, sliced into strips
• 1 ½ cups bean sprouts
• 8 oz white mushrooms, sliced
• 5 cups fresh spinach
• 4 eggs, divided
• 2 cups quick and easy Korean bulgogi (see recipe below)
• ¼ cup Gochujang (divided)

Instructions

Cauliflower Rice

1. Chop the cauliflower into large florets.
2. Place ⅓ of the florets into a food processor. Give it a few quick pulses and then process for about 10 seconds until the cauliflower resembles rice kernels.
3. Transfer the cauliflower rice to a large bowl.
4. Repeat this process 2 more times with the remaining florets.

Veggies

1. Heat sesame oil in a saute pan over medium heat.
2. Add the carrots and sprinkle with salt. Saute for about 2 minutes until just softened. Transfer to a plate (the veggie plate) and set aside.
3. Add the zucchini to the same pan and sprinkle with salt. Saute for about 2 minutes until just softened. Transfer to a plate (the veggie plate) and set aside.
4. Add the red pepper to the pan and sprinkle with salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes until soft, but still a bit crunchy. Transfer to the veggie plate and set aside.
5. Add the bean sprouts to the pan and sprinkle with salt. Cook for 2 minutes until soft. Transfer to the veggie plate and set aside.
6. Add the mushrooms to the pan and sprinkle with salt. Cook for 2 minutes until soft. Transfer to the veggie plate and set aside.
7. Add the spinach to the pan and sprinkle with salt. Saute for 1-2 minutes until wilted. Transfer to the veggie plate and set aside.
8. Add the cauliflower rice to the pan. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it’s heated through. Transfer back to the large bowl.
9. Coat the same pan with cooking spray. Crack the egg into the pan. Let it cook for about 1 minute until the whites are just cooked through. Repeat this process with each remaining egg.
10. Divide each portion of veggies into quarters and portion out into 4 bowls. The traditional presentation of this dish has you place each vegetable into the bowl in small separate piles to form a circle. Top the circular pile of vegetables with the fried egg. Add 1 tablespoon of sauce to each bowl.

Notes

Serving size: 4 bowls
Nutrition Information (per serving) from Caloriecount.about.com
Calories: 402 Fat: 14.4g Carb: 42.5g Fiber: 10.3g Protein: 32.5g Sugar 20.1g Sodium: 1432mg
Weight Watchers Points (calculated on member website)
WW: 10 Points Plus

3.3.3077

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