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!
(Optional step, can be done well in advance or skipped). To colour 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 tbsp of white vinegar and stir. Set aside.
To colour 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 tbsp of white vinegar and stir. Set aside.Leave them to rest for about 1 hour. The longer you wait, the deeper the colour would be. They're a perfect, fun accompaniment for a 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 like I did, you can also serve it as a side dish as it 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 coloured 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 centre.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 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!