Rainbow Vegetarian Bibimbap

This Delicious Rainbow vegetarian bibimbap recipe is the perfect meal in a bowl! With a variety of taste, texture and colour – there is something for everyone and it’s surprisingly easy to put together!

From smoothie bowls to salad bowls – I love any meal that can be served in a bowl and this rainbow vegetarian bibimbap recipe is the perfect ‘bowl’ recipe that has everything you need!

If you haven’t heard of ‘Bibimbap’ before, it is a Korean dish that is akin to stir-fried rice with loads of veggie and protein toppings – While I’m not going to pretend that this is the most authentic take on the recipe, here is my take on delicious vegetarian bibimbap that I’ve become obsessed with recently. You really can pack everything you need into a single bowl dish. Plus, it’s great for meal prep!

This rainbow bibimbap is super versatile too!

While I’ve obviously made suggestions for my favorite veggies to include in the dish, feel free to add your own favorite veggies and any additional protein such as tofu, etc.

I really think one of the most delicious must-have ingredients are the eggs. Either as soft boiled or fried, the delicious, creamy yolk is perfect alongside the rice and veggies. Here, in fact, I’ve actually gone for a method that a friend suggested to me, by simply separating the yolks from the egg whites and serving directly into the dish for a creamy flavor throughout – which is especially delicious using Clarence Court Burford Brown eggs as the yolks are SUPER creamy and delicious. The choice of egg method is yours!

Plus – while the recipe ingredients list may look a little daunting, there’s really not much preparation needed and this really can be pulled together fairly quickly. I took some additional time to colour some veggies as an optional step, however, you can have these pre-prepared or you can skip this step altogether.

Here is how to make this delicious Rainbow Bibimbap

Ingredients:

For this rainbow bibimbap you will need:

• Short-grain brown rice
• Clarence Court Burford Brown eggs
• fresh veggies – I used carrots, cabbage, bean sprouts, spring onion, Chinese cabbage, broccoli sprouts, spinach
• mushrooms (I used Golden Enoki mushrooms)
• hot sauce of choice

As I mention, you can skip the step if coloring the sprouts. If you like to color them, then you will need:

• mung bean sprouts
• white vinegar
• shredded red cabbage (for purple color)
• beetroot (for pink/reddish color)

I also find that a cucumber sesame salad goes great as a side (or also on top) of this dish. You will need:

• cucumber
• white vinegar
• soy sauce
• sesame oil
• sesame seeds
• sugar (I used coconut sugar)
• chili powder
• spring onions

Here’s how to make this delicious meal

This first step is optional and can be done well in advance or skipped. To color the mung bean sprouts purple, add a handful of sprouts to a bowl with a handful of shredded red cabbage and cover with hot water.

 

Add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and stir. Set aside.

 

To color the mung bean sprouts pink/reddish, add a handful of sprouts to a bowl with a few slices of beetroot and cover with hot water.

    

Add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and stir. Set aside.

Leave them to rest for about 1 hour. The longer you wait, the deeper the color would be. They’re a perfect, fun accompaniment for vegetarian bibimbap.

 

Before you cook the rice, first make sure to rinse it well so that all the starch gets washed away. About 3-4 times does the trick – this is the key to beautifully fluffy rice!

It’s best to rinse it until the water becomes perfectly clear. As you can see in the photo below, when you first rinse it, the water is very murky. After 3-4 rinses, the water was clear.

Leave the rice to soak in water for 30 mins. Rinse again.

To cook 1.5 cups of rice, add 3 cups of water in the saucepan. Bring to a boil.

As soon as it’s boiling, cover and leave to simmer until all the water is absorbed.

The rice is ready when all the water gets absorbed and it becomes fluffy.

 To prepare the cucumber sesame salad, mix all the ingredients in a bowl, and mix well.

Cut the cucumber into slices or shreds, then add it to the bowl and mix well.

Note: instead of adding the cucumber sesame salad to the bibimbap as I did, you can also serve it as a side dish as it is delicious on itself. 

Prepare the rest of the ingredients: Cut the carrots, cabbage, and spring onion.

You can wilt the spinach by covering it with hot water for 1-2 minutes.

Then just make sure to squeeze out all the liquid.

If you colored the sprouts using red cabbage then you can use this cabbage within the dish. If not, then you can gently cook it in boiling water for a few minutes, to soften.

Cook the mushrooms with sesame oil for a few minutes.

When all your ingredients are ready, you can assemble the rainbow vegetarian bibimbap in a big pan or a wok.

 

Add the rice at the bottom, then arrange all the ingredients on top of it, leaving free space in the center.

Note: When I prepare this dish for my family and friends, I like assembling it all in a big wok. This allows the food to keep warm until it’s served. Alternatively, you can divide the ingredients and serve in individual bowls. 

Cover the middle of the rice with hot sauce – as little or as much as you like.

Finally, crack open 3 Clarence Court Burford Brown eggs, remove the egg white and place the yolks on top of the hot sauce.

Your vegetarian rainbow bibimbap is ready to be mixed and served!

If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments. I’d also really appreciate a recipe rating and any feedback, and feel free to tag me in your recreations on Instagram @Alphafoodie.