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Prep time
8 hours
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Cook time
30 minutes
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Serves
1
Author Notes
Dolsot bibimbap is a classic Korean dish of mixed rice with vegetables, served in a sizzling hot stone bowl. The earthenware caramelizes the rice and forms a tahdig-like crust on the bottom, which tastes fantastic against the meat, gochujang (red pepper paste), and fresh white rice. Here, I've replaced the stone pot with the more readily available cast-iron skillet. Everything gets cooked in this one pan, which means dishes are reduced and caramelization is heightened.
As for the ingredients, they're entirely up to you. Sautéed kale, quick-pickled radishes, and roasted seaweed snack might not be the most traditional ingredients found in a restaurant bibimbap, but they're certainly traditional in my house. And anyway, the point of bibimbap ("mixed rice") is that it's a vessel to clean out your fridge—so use what you've got, and certainly leave out what you don't like. The skillet is your oyster.
Want to hear more about Korean-American food? On our new podcast Counterjam—a show that explores culture through food and music—host Peter J. Kim talks instant ramyeun hacks, kimchi-jjigae, cheonggukjang, and more with chef Roy Choi and comedian Margaret Cho—check out the episode here. —Eric Kim
Test Kitchen Notes
Featured in: For the Best (& Easiest) Bibimbap, Cook It in a Skillet. —The Editors
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Ingredients
- Marinated kalbi
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1/4 pound
boneless beef short rib, thinly sliced
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2
garlic cloves, grated
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1 tablespoon
soy sauce
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1 teaspoon
Korean soybean paste, or miso
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1 1/2 teaspoons
sugar
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1 teaspoon
sesame oil
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Freshly ground black pepper
- Bibimbap
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1/2 cup
short-grain white rice
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1/2 cup
thinly sliced radishes
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1 tablespoon
rice vinegar
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1
pinch sugar
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Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
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2 tablespoons
sesame oil, divided
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2 cups
Tuscan kale, roughly chopped
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1/4 cup
finely chopped kimchi
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1/2
(5g) packet roasted seaweed snack, crushed
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1
large organic egg yolk
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1 tablespoon
gochujang
Directions
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In a resealable plastic bag, marinate the beef, garlic, soy, miso, sugar, sesame oil, and black pepper overnight.
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For the bibimbap: Prepare the white rice. I like to rinse it over the sink in a strainer, then add it to a rice cooker with 1/2 cup water, let it sit for 10 minutes, and press Cook. (But make it however you like.)
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In a small bowl, toss together the radishes, sugar, vinegar, and a pinch of salt and black pepper. Set aside.
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Meanwhile, heat an 8-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat, then add 2 teaspoons of the sesame oil and kale. Season with salt and pepper. Fry for a good 2 to 3 minutes, until charred at the edges. Remove and set aside.
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Add another teaspoon sesame oil and fry the marinated beef for 5 to 7 minutes, or until charred and cooked through. Remove and set aside.
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Add the remaining tablespoon sesame oil and cooked white rice. Turn rice in the oil and fry for just a minute, then distribute evenly on the bottom of the skillet.
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Off the heat, assemble all of the ingredients in color-blocked components over the rice: the beef, kale, marinated radishes, chopped kimchi, crushed roasted seaweed snack, and gochujang. The egg yolk should go in the middle.
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Return built skillet to the heat, over medium-low, and toast the rice for about 5 minutes (so the bottom of the pan forms a sort of tahdig-like crust). Eat with a wooden spoon if you can, so as not to scrape the bottom of the skillet.
Eric Kim was the Table for One columnist at Food52. He is currently working on his first cookbook, KOREAN AMERICAN, to be published by Clarkson Potter in 2022. His favorite writers are William Faulkner, John Steinbeck, and Ernest Hemingway, but his hero is Nigella Lawson. You can find his bylines at The New York Times, where he works now as a writer. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @ericjoonho.
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