Bibimbap is a traditional Korean street food, typically brimming with a variety of contrasting ingredients that, when melded and mashed and eaten together, combine into a harmonious and pleasing confluence of both flavor and texture. Bibimbap is of course a dish to eat casually, but also one to experience more profoundly: each bite, a balanced, satisfying, and irresistible mouthful of good food – right down to the last morsel. Needless to say, this vegan bibimbap recipe is all that, and more!
What are the different elements in this vegan bibimbap recipe?
This vegan bibimbap recipe has a multitude of layers, each one adds a vital ingredient, flavor and texture that contributes to the overall experience of the dish itself. Below are listed the components, from the bottom of the bowl up.
1. Brown rice.
2. Sautéed vegetables, including red onion, red bell pepper, zucchini, and kale.
3. Fresh, crunchy garnishes of sprouts and thinly sliced radishes.
4. BBQ marinaded tempeh, crispy, slightly charred and delicious.
5. Tangy & Spicy BBQ Sauce, derived from the tempeh marinade, slightly reduced but packed with flavor.
6. Broiled or grilled avocado, a creamy centerpiece crowning the bibimbap – like an egg, except better.
One Trick to Tame Tempeh
Tempeh straight out of the package can seem rather unappetizing; it’s a sickly beige color, and sometimes has strange gray discolorations spotted throughout. However, the appearance is secondary in strangeness when compared to the initial texture of tempeh, which is both soft and oddly compact.
Despite this, fear not! Tempeh can be extremely delicious when prepared properly – just like tofu.
In this vegan bibimbap recipe, the way to transform the tempeh is to marinade it first, and then pan fry it to the point of charring. This not only imbues it with more flavor, but also gives it a crispy texture and more pleasant appearance.
This is just one of the ways to tame the initial bizarreness of tempeh.
Side note: To the, “but where do you get your protein?” question, the answer is tempeh. It’s a significant source of plant-based protein, and it’s only a couple bucks for an 8 oz. package – truly a cheap and easy vegan protein.
Avocado, the vegan poached egg replacement?
Traditional bibimbap bowls usually have a poached egg at the very top. One of the reasons for this is, when broken open, the yolk spills out into the ingredients underneath and creates a kind of sauce.
But since this is a vegan bibimbap recipe, my mind naturally when to the creamiest food that I could think of: avocado. Substituting the poached egg for one of these green beauties and miracle fruits made the most sense to me, as they are naturally creamy and can be easily and progressively broken down as you eat the bibimbap.
For this recipe, you will need a slightly unripe avocado. This means that you want an avocado that is firm, but easy to peel out of its skin. The perfect ‘cad for this is one that’s about a day or two away from being soft enough to eat. A little tiny splash of green on the skin is okay, but don’t go for an avocado that is completely green on the outside – that’s too unripe.
A trick to avocados: I discovered that broiling or grilling avocados transforms them, especially if you have an avocado that’s too unripe to eat the day when you want to eat it. It softens the avocado, and they also become creamier, more velvety, and melt away as you eat them. For these reasons, a grilled or broiled avocado are the perfect addition to this vegan bibimbap recipe.
How do you eat the bibimbap?
Really, however you’d like! The most important part? Make sure that you smash and mash the avocado throughout the bowl, so that you have some with each bite.
Other than that, don’t be afraid to mix everything together.
This vegan bibimbap recipe is delicious chaos.
Sriracha vs. Gochujang
Also to note is that the essential ingredient in the marinade is some kind of chili paste, which can come in many different varieties and forms. The two options in this recipe are gochujang paste or sriracha.
Gochujang paste is a Korean fermented chili paste that is traditionally used in bibimbap. So if you want more authenticity, use this if you can find it. Personally, I didn’t use gochujang because I was too lazy to go to the local Korean food market. Instead, I used sriracha, which is admittedly different in flavor (less fermented, not as sweet and funky), but nonetheless effective.
If you do decide to use gochujang paste, add a little bit at a time to the marinade, until you think it’s balanced out by the other flavors. My guess is that it’s on par with the sriracha in terms of quantity.
Also, if you enjoyed this delicious bowl of food, check out this Guajillo Chili Bowl with Bok Choy and Peppers – it’s stellar!
Should I make this?
Short Answer: Yes.
Longer answer: Of course you should! Why wouldn’t you? It’s a colorful, delectable, incredible one-dish meal with a plethora of harmonious flavors and textures and tastes!
If you enjoyed this vegan bibimbap recipe, let me know by leaving a comment and rating before you go!
BBQ Bibimbap Bowl
Equipment
- Skillet
- Oven w/broil setting
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients
Tempeh and Marinade
- 1 (8-ounce) package tempeh, sliced into thin strips (1/4-inch or so)
- 2 tablespoons sriracha, or gochujang (more traditional)
- 3 tablespoons low-sodium tamari
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons maple syrup
- ¼ cup green onions, diced
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely minced
Veggies To Sauté
- ½ red onion, thin strips
- ½ red pepper, thin strips
- 1 – 2 zucchini, thin strips
- 1 bunch lacinato kale, de-ribbed
- 3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger, finely minced
- Some Olive oil
- Some Salt and pepper
Broiled Avocado
- 1 slightly unripe avocado, halved or quartered then broiled
- Some olive oil, to coat the 'cad
- Some Salt and pepper
Garnishes
- Rice, brown or white
- Sprouts
- Radishes
- Sriracha
- Sweet chili sauce
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to warm with a baking sheet inside – you’ll use this a warming drawer for the veggies that you finish sautéing.
- Cut the tempeh into thin 1/4-inch strips, and then marinate it in a container with the marinade ingredients for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight. The longer the better. Save the marinade – it serves as the sauce later on.
- In a skillet over medium heat with a little bit of olive oil, sauté the red onion and red pepper for 5 – 7 minutes, until soft. Transfer to a baking sheet in the oven to keep warm.
- Add a little more olive oil to the cast-iron, then sauté the zucchini for 4 – 5 minutes, until golden and soft. Transfer to a baking sheet in the oven to keep warm.
- Add a little more olive oil to the cast-iron, then sauté the kale for 3 – 4 minutes, turning with pincers until wilted. Transfer to the baking sheet in the oven to keep warm.
- Add a little more olive oil to the cast-iron, then sauté the strips of tempeh, 6 or 7 pieces at a time, for about 2 – 3 minutes on each side, until it has a partial char and is crispy. Transfer the tempeh to a plate covered with aluminum foil to keep them warm. Also, once you’re done cooking the tempeh, remove the baking sheet with the veggies on it from the oven and also cover it with aluminum to keep warm.
- Now that the oven is clear, set the oven to broil, and broil the halved or quartered avocado (rubbed with a little olive oil and salt/pepper) for 2 to 3 minutes, turn it over and broil again for another 2 to 3 minutes, until a fork inserted slides in smoothly.
- Lastly, in the cast-iron over medium heat with a little bit of olive oil, sauté the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds – 1 minute, until fragrant and browning, then add the leftover tempeh marinade. Heat through and reduce slightly, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the skillet to get all the leftover charred bits from the tempeh.
- In a large bowl, lay down some rice, then the veggies and garnishes, follow by your charred tempeh, and then the avocado atop it all with the reduced sauce in the well of the avocado. Eat by smashing the avocado and sauce into the bowl with a fork!
Nutrition
May you have good food in good company,
That Vegan Nephew
Yummy. The broiled avocado wonderfully mimics an egg. The tempeh was crispy and delicious. Nice crisp vegetables in the mix and sweet sprouts complete the dish.