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Kicking off my Korean food series with Superfood Bibimbap with Crispy Tofu.
When I asked you guys in last Sunday’s Favorite’s post if you wanted to see some Korean inspired food, the response was an overwhelming, yes. Thankfully, I was already planning on sharing a few recipes before I leave for Korea on the seventh (it’s getting so close!), but now I am even more excited because I know you guys are looking forward to these recipes too!
It will be really fun to be able to see how Korean’s really make the dishes I am attempting to recreate. When I get home, I’m hoping to post a couple super authentic Korean dishes, but until then, I am pretty excited to share what I have today!
You guys, say hello to this Healthy January Bibimbap Bowl…the vegan Superfood Bibimbap with Crispy Tofu.
So pretty, right? I LOVE this bowl…
But it’s also so very different from anything I have ever shared with you guys. This is my very first tofu recipe here on HBH. For the longest time, I always said I would never cook tofu. It just wasn’t my thing, and to be honest, it’s not like I plan to eat it all the time, but I think it tastes incredible in this Korean inspired recipe, and I love that I was able to use it in place of the beef that’s traditionally used in Bibimbap.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Bibimbap, it’s a Korean rice bowl that consist of thinly sliced steak, fried eggs, and pickled veggies. The bowls can vary depending on where you order them, but almost always they consist of rice, meat, and pickled veggies.
Today I am sharing a healthier vegan version, and no joke, it’s possibly one of my favorite “bowl” recipes I have created. It’s not very traditional, but it’s made with Korean flavors, healthy, colorful, and so good!
Let me break this bowl down.
For my base, I use farro, which I am having a major obsession with right now. It’s my new favorite grain. You can use brown rice, quinoa, barley, or regular white rice too, all will work.
Next comes the tofu, which is tossed in a little Korean sauce, then baked to crisp perfection. As mentioned, I’ve never been much of a tofu person, but this tofu? It’s exceptional, and it’s all thanks to the sauce…the sauce is the best. And the secret to this sauce? Gochujang, a Korean chili paste. You can find it on Amazon here.
The rest of the bowl is a mix of roasted and pickled veggies, fried eggs (of course), and avocado (not even close to traditional, but my bowls have to have an avocado).
There is for sure a lot going on in this bowl, and it takes a little time to prepare, but it still can be made in under an hour, and all on one sheet pan (with the exception of frying up that egg). If you have some cooked grains on hand, maybe from Sunday meal prep, then things go even faster (meaning, cook up a bunch a grains on Sunday for easy Bibimbap during the week).
Speaking of meal prep, this is the PERFECT recipe to prep on Sunday, just make the tofu and veggies, cook your grains, put everything in containers and add an egg before serving…meal prep done and done!
I know all of my family is really looking forward to trying all the noodle dishes Korea has to offer, but me? I’m super exited about the Bibimbap and can’t wait to compare my very American version with their very traditional version. Should be fun!
Until then, this bowl literally brings brightness to my life these days, I love it.
Also, if you’re looking for a meatier version of this recipe, check out the Half Baked Harvest cookbook. I have a similar recipe in the book, but instead of tofu I used steak and sweet potatoes. There is also a really freaking amazing spicy tomatillo sauce that goes with that bowl…so good!
Superfood Bibimbap with Crispy Tofu
Servings: 4 servings
Calories Per Serving: 682 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 block organic extra firm tofu
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 1-2 tablespoons Gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup broccoli
- 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced or torn
- 1 bunch curly kale, roughly torn
- juice from 1 lime
- kosher salt
- 2 cups cooked barley, farro, or quinoa
- 4 fried eggs
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1 cup fresh or pickled carrots and radishes
- toasted sesame seeds, for sprinkling
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.2. Press the tofu with paper towels to remove as much water as possible. Slice into 1/4 inch thick slices and add to a gallon size ziplock bag. 3. In a small bowl, combine the 2 tablespoon water, the soy sauce, Gochujang, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic. Add half the sauce to the tofu bag (reserve the remaining for serving), tossing gently to combine. Let sit 5-10 minutes. Remove the tofu from the sauce and place in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and bake 10 minutes. Flip and bake another 10-15 minutes, until the tofu is crisp.4. Meanwhile, toss the broccoli and mushrooms with 1 tablespoon oil and a pinch of salt. During the last 10-15 minutes of cooking, add the veggies to the pan with the tofu.5. In a bowl, massage the kale with the remaining 1 tablespoons olive oil, lime juice, and a pinch of salt. 6. To serve, divide the grains among bowls. Add the tofu, kale, broccoli, mushrooms, fried egg, avocado, carrots, and radishes. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with the reserved sauce. Enjoy!
All the bowls, with all the colors…my favorite!
Hi Rachel,
I was excited to hear you’ll be visiting my home country soon and wanted to help. It’s been a while since I’ve been back there as well so I’m jealous that you will get to go so soon! I figured I would recommend some tried and true spots in Seoul for you to check out if you’re planning on visiting any of these areas. All of the restaurants mentioned below have been around for a long time and are known for being truly traditional. They aren’t exactly trendy so you will find families and lots of older groups dining at these places, but the food quality is pretty on point! Hope you find this info helpful.
** Tip: If you end up taking a taxi to these places, it’s good to just call the restaurant then ask them if they could speak directly with the cab driver to explain the directions; that way there’s nothing lost in translation. Korea also has tons of int’l taxis for foreigners so language might not be a problem at all, but sharing this tip just in case. Subway + cabs/walking are a great way to get around Seoul.
SAMWON GARDEN – 835 Eonju-ro, Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul – almost everything is good here. The BBQ, bibimbap, galbitang (beef short rib soup, they have both clear and spicy broth options), cold buckwheat noodles, and even their Stone pot rice with Soybean paste stew special. It comes with a ton of side dishes.
HANILKWAN – http://www.hanilkwan.co.kr/menu05/sub5-4.asp – bibimbap is served in the style that was served in the palace back in the days of the Chosun (and older) dynasties. It doesn’t come in a super hot stone pot. Just like Samwon Garden, their food is good all around
HANWOORI – http://www.hwrfood.com – 304 Dosan-daero, Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea. There are two “Hanwoori”s adjacent to one another. Make sure you go into the smaller building, right on the corner of the road – this one is the original, and serves more a la carte menus whereas the other building focuses on course menus). Recommended items: Pan-fried Green Bean Pancake, Spicy Boiled Beef & Noodle Stew (you can adjust the spiciness as preferred, and be sure to order the “porridge” once you’re done because they’ll use the leftover stew to make it. Super yummy)
NEUNGRADO – 655-12 Yeoksam 1(il)-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea – they were named one of the top3 places in Seoul to go for cold buckwheat noodles. Worth a visit if you like Korean style cold noodles.
Ok well this post is way to long to be open to the public so I apologize and hope you have a great time in Korea! I love all your recipes btw! Just wish I had all the ingredients ready all the time!
Oops I meant Tieghan, not Rachel! Sorry 🙂
Cathryn
Wow thank you so much Cathryn! Those places will definitely come in handy when I am there and hope to check some of them out!
Hi Tieghan,
I have been following and cooking your recipes for awhile now.
Always great. We have a Noodle bar in my small town in NY’s Hudson Valley.
They have great Bibimbap. Just wanted to say have a great time in Korea, good luck to your brother.
So Cool. Will be looking for him. Good thing your from Colorado, calling for one of the coldest olympics/ opening ceremonies
ever. bring lots of warm clothes. can’t wait to give this recipe a try.
All the best,
Bill
Thank you so much Bill! I am really excited to be over there and cannot wait to watch him! I hope you love this recipe!
Been offline for too long. Thrilled for your brother and all your fam going to Korea…dream.come.true
So awesome that their dishes are getting their due and sweeping across the U.S. Thanks for helping promote.
Your version looks exquisite and must take it on…We will all be watching and cheering on Red.
Your family is SO multi-talented and so close knit – beautiful. Keep your Korean recipes coming.
Tammy
Thank you so much Tammy! I am so glad you like this and am so proud of my brother!
Looks very tasty! Might just want to add that the vegan option would be with no egg.
I really enjoy bibimbap when the egg is cracked over the rice in a hot pan and makes a yummy eggy crust on the rice!
Thank you Jessica!
This is blowing my mind. I love all these things individually, but together? IN ONE BOWL? This recipe will be added to the rotation ASAP.
http://www.slackergirlfitness.com
Thanks Jessica! I hope you love this!
Soooo excited for your whole family’s adventures in Korea!!
I can’t WAIT to try this! I became vegetarian long before Korean food took off in the US so have been deprived of Bimibap! I never thought to make it, it seemed too intimidating.
Thank you for making more vegan friendly recipes lately! It’s so funny that this is your first tofu recipe, as I’ve made so many of your dishes with tofu so never noticed.
Thank you so much Irene! I hope you love this recipe, let me know!
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Thanks!
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Thanks!
Hey Tieghan,
I like these Korean inspired bibimbap bowls and the addition of the egg. 🙂
I agree that the egg and avocado help! I love the mushrooms and was just looking at mushroom types and uses.
That’s exciting that you’re leaving so soon! What do you have planned while in Korea? You mentioned watching the Olympics for the first week then traveling the next. Do you have anywhere in mind? Maybe you can add a travel/food post when you get back, so you can share some of your favorite places on the site!
Either way, I’m looking forward to hearing all about Korea and hope you’re staying warm. 🙂
I would like to say thank you for the amazing recommendation of this book that I ordered, it has literally changed my entire point of view in cooking. And I feel everyone should learn from this book has I have: https://tinyurl.com/yaoynchw thanks for the recommendation!
Thanks!
Loving that crispy tofu!
Thank you Jennifer!
That sounds so wonderful! I can’t wait to make it! Will make a wonderful lunch during the week. Am looking forward to more recipes with the Korean flavors and especially your authentic ones! I have been watching shows on Netflix, they have some awesome shows now taking you around the world discovering all the different foods! Recently watched one that compared the different flavors of that part of the world and I really enjoyed it. Looking forward to learning more!
Thank you Bllie! I hope you love the recipes on my blog!
Sorry to be nitpicky, and this recipe looks SUPER delicious, but traditional bibimbap definitely does not include any pickled veggies. Maybe you are thinking of Bahn Mi? I have lived in Korea for almost a decade, and bibimbap includes lots of veggies, but none are pickled. Just sauteed or steamed. You’ll find out soon enough in person! ?
So interesting to hear! All the recipes I have looked at use pickled, but that is great to know. Thanks!
I’m obsessed with this bowl! So vibrant, and the texture contrasts seem beyond wonderful! Loveeee 🙂 xo
Thank you Kelsey!
This looks amazing, I can’t wait to roll some of these ideas into my lunch (I’m making a cold Korean noodle bowl) and make the whole thing at some point. I love Korean cooking – it is the food I make for myself most at home. I’d love to see you do something with Korean Rice Cakes (http://www.rachelphipps.com/2017/06/cookbook-corner-soy-rice-cakes-from-our.html) or a Kimchee Fried Rice!
Thank you so much Rachel!