Vegetarian Bibimbap Recipe with bibimbap sauce, made gluten-free and soy-free. This Korean bibimbap rice bowl is filled with vegetables that you can pick-and-choose what you want to make. They taste even better the day after and are great for side dishes, too!
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Korean
Keyword Bibimbap Bowl, Bibimbap Recipe, Bibimbap Sauce, Korean Bibimbap, Korean rice bowl, Vegetarian Bibimbap
Slice the zucchini to a little thinner than ¼-inch (0.6 cm) in thickness or use a mandolin slicer. Sprinkle 1.5 tsp fine sea salt and gently rub the salt into each slice. Let sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes or up to 1 hour. Squeeze out the water then do a quick saute with avocado oil, garlic, and sesame oil. Sprinkle scallions and sesame seeds. Chill in the fridge.
For the carrots, mung bean sprouts, and spinach:
Julienne the carrots. These vegetables have the same cooking steps but please cook them separately. Bring a large pot of water to boil and season with some salt. Hot water blanches the carrots for 2 minutes, bean sprouts for 2 minutes, and spinach for 30 seconds. Soak in cold water and squeeze out the liquid. In a big mixing bowl, season each vegetable item with salt, garlic, sesame oil, scallions, and sesame seeds. Taste and adjust the salt quantity. Chill in the fridge. I like to add a tablespoon of coconut aminos for extra flavor but that’s totally optional.
For the bibimbap sauce:
In a small food processor, add the ingredients from the dates to salt. Blend a few times until you get a smooth paste. You might need to scrape the bowl a few times. Transfer the paste to a small bowl. Stir-in the sesame oil and vinegar. Adjust the vinegar quantity to taste.
To assemble:
Add the cooked rice (or cauliflower rice) to the bottom of serving bowls, place each vegetable item on top of the rice. I like to alternate the colors between the vegetables so they look colorful. Top with a sunny side up fried egg, a big spoonful of homemade bibimbap sauce, and a teaspoon sesame seeds. Mix it all up with a spoon and dig-in!
Notes
If you are not a vegetarian, try adding bulgogi beef, roasted salmon, or even smoked salmon like I did in the photos.
Besides bean sprouts, carrots, zucchini, and spinach, you can also saute fresh sliced shiitake with some salt, toasted sesame oil, and a dash of coconut aminos as another topping choice.
Store the vegetables in a sealed container and in the fridge. Best finish in 4-5 days. Zucchini and bean sprouts will continue to produce more liquid as they sit in the fridge but that won’t affect the flavor.