Recently we visited our friends Lydia and Neil at their new place. Lydia was kind enough to cook us a yummy Vegan Korean meal. That meal reminded me of one of my favorite places to eat out, BIBIBOP. When Lydia mentioned that the bowl is called as Bibimbap, I wondered if the restaurant had derived its name from that!
The reason I LOVE this is because it is so versatile! It is like you can come up with this meal on any week night based on whatever veggies you have left in the refrigerator. There is only one sauce that you need to keep with you (Gochujang) and you are good to go! Also you can cook everything in the same pan (less pots and pans to cook) and left overs work very well for lunches!
So let us get started! You will need:
Again, remember you don't necessarily need all these veggies, any replacement would do!
Grain base:
1 cup mixed grains (you can use Korean rice, any other type of rice or any grain of your choice)
1.5 cups water (adjust according to the grain of your choice)
Sauce:
2 tbsp Gochujang sauce/paste
1 tbsp sugar (can add more to make it less spicy)
1/2 tbsp oil (traditionally sesame oil is used)
1/2 tbsp water (can add more based on the desired consistency)
1/2 tsp white sesame seeds (optional)
1/2 tsp black sesame seeds (optional)
Note: these proportions work well, but please adjust according to your taste
Protein:
16 oz super firm tofu, cubed
Marination ingredients for tofu
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp chilli crunch/oil (optional)
salt per taste
black pepper per taste
Veggies to be cooked:
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
3 small- medium potatoes, into small cubes
5 oz baby spinach
1 cup shelled edamame (I used frozen)
Note: You need not use all these veggies. You can skip some, add some, replace some. Other veggies options, zucchini, sweet potato, kale, bok choy, lima beans etc.
Seasonings for cooked veggies:
oil (vegetable, olive, traditionally sesame oil is used)
salt per taste
black pepper per taste
1/2-1tsp chilli crunch/oil (optional)
sugar (optional)
Ingredients for salad:
1/2 cucumber, halved and sliced
1/4 orange pepper, chopped
1 small carrot, shredded
lime juice from 1/2 lime
salt per taste
black pepper per taste
Note: If you don't have these ingredients, you can skip the salad too. You can replace with other salad veggies as well, like raw cabbage, corn etc.
Veggies for additional toppings/crunch
1 cup bean sprouts
Note: You can use micro greens as well. Or completely skip these.
Method:
Grain:
Start with the grain. I always like to do "pot in a pot" method. Turn on the Instant Pot (IP). Add 1 cup water to the base of main IP pot. Add in the pot insert which has 1 cup grain and 1.5 cups water in it. Close the lid of the IP. Set the valve to sealed mode. Cook for 6 min in manual high pressure mode. Wait for nature pressure release. Your grain is ready!
You can refer this link to learn "pot in a pot" method to cook rice and other grains in IP.
Tofu:
While the grain is being cooked, prep the tofu and marinate with the ingredients as mentioned above.
Veggies:
While the tofu is marinating, prep all the veggies (chopping/slicing/shredding).
Cooking veggies:
Heat up a wide pan. Add 1tbsp oil. Once the oil is hot, add the mushrooms. Saute them for a bit and add the seasonings as mentioned above. They should take less than 5 min in medium to high flame. Transfer the cooked mushrooms to a bowl.
In the same pan, add another 1-2 tbsp of oil. Once it is hot, add the potatoes. Saute them for a bit and add the seasoning as mentioned above. They should take about 5 min to cook and roast in medium flame based on how small you have chopped them. Can keep it longer in low flame if you want crispy texture. Transfer the cooked potatoes to a bowl.
Use the same pan, add 1-2 tbsp oil. Once it is hot, add the marinated tofu. In 2-3 minutes, flip them over to roast the other side of tofu. In another 2-3 minutes tofu should be done. You can keep it for longer in low flame to get more crispy consistency. Transfer the tofu to a bowl.
In the same pan, either add 1 tsp oil or 1 tbsp water and add the spinach. Add just salt and pepper. Saute for a bit. It should be done in 1-2 minutes. You can choose to blanch as well ( in hot water then transfer to ice bath, but honestly I am too lazy to do this. Haha!) Transfer to a bowl.
Lastly in the same pan, add frozen/thawed edamame. Add salt and pepper and splash some water. Close it with a lid. In 1-2 minutes it should be soft. Transfer to a bowl.
Sauce:
In a small bowl add all the ingredients for the sauce. Give it a mix. And you are good to go!
Assembling the bowl:
In a bowl add in the grain. Add all the cooked veggies, tofu, salad and crunchy toppings like bean sprouts. Drizzle some sauce.
Serve hot and enjoy!!!!!
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