Entrée: South Korea – 돌솥비빔밥 ▶ Dolsot Bibimbap (Stone Pot Mixed Rice)

Serving Size: 4

Approximate Time

Prep 30 min

Cook 25 min

Total 1 hr

Ingredients

1 3 / 4 cups (350 g) short-grain rice (or medium-grain), rinsed until water runs clear
1 cup (240 ml) canned coconut milk
1 1 / 4 cups (300 ml) water
1 / 2 tsp salt
2 tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil (plus extra for the stone pot)
14 oz / 400 g beef sirloin or flank, thinly sliced across the grain
2 tbsp (30 ml) soy sauce
1 tbsp (15 ml) kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
1 tbsp (15 ml) sambal oelek (or sambal belacan; adjust to taste)
1 tbsp (15 ml) honey or palm sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp grated ginger
7 oz / 200 g shiitake or button mushrooms, sliced
2 medium carrots, julienned
7 oz / 200 g spinach, blanched and squeezed
1 cup (120 g) bean sprouts, blanched
1 small cucumber, thinly sliced or julienned
2 tbsp (30 ml) rice vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 / 4 tsp salt (for quick-pickling cucumber)
4 large eggs
2 tbsp (30 ml) toasted sesame oil (divided)
2 tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil (for stir-fries)
2 tbsp (12 g) sliced scallions
2 tbsp (14 g) fried shallots (bawang goreng) or toasted peanuts for crunch
2 tbsp (14 g) crispy ikan bilis (dried anchovies) or roasted peanuts (optional)
2 tbsp (18 g) sesame seeds, toasted
1 lime, cut into wedges
Optional: fresh cilantro or laksa leaf for garnish

Instructions

Rice (coconut-style): Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. In a rice cooker or heavy saucepan combine rinsed rice, coconut milk, water and 1/2 teaspoon salt. If using a saucepan, bring to a simmer, cover and cook on low 12–15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed, then let rest off heat, covered, 10 minutes. Fluff and keep warm.
Quick-pickle cucumber (acar): Toss the sliced cucumber with rice vinegar, sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Let sit at least 10 minutes while you prepare the rest (can be made up to 1 hour ahead and drained before serving).
Marinate beef: In a bowl combine soy sauce, kecap manis, sambal oelek, honey (or palm sugar), minced garlic and grated ginger. Add sliced beef, toss to coat and let sit 15–30 minutes (or up to 2 hours in fridge).
Make Malaysian sambal dressing (to drizzle): In a small bowl whisk 1 tablespoon sambal (or sambal to taste), 1 tablespoon kecap manis, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 teaspoon sugar and 1–2 teaspoons water to thin. Taste and adjust sweet/spicy balance.
Prepare vegetables and mushrooms: Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced mushrooms, a pinch of salt and a splash (1 teaspoon) of kecap manis or soy; sauté until browned and cooked through, about 4–5 minutes. Remove and keep warm. In the same skillet, add another teaspoon oil and quickly stir-fry julienned carrots with a pinch of salt for 2–3 minutes (they should be tender-crisp). Blanch spinach and bean sprouts separately in boiling water for 30–45 seconds, shock in cold water, squeeze out excess water and toss spinach with 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil and a pinch of salt. Toss bean sprouts lightly with sesame oil and salt as well.
Cook the beef: Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in the skillet over high heat. Add marinated beef in a single layer and sear, stirring quickly, until just cooked through and caramelized, about 2–4 minutes depending on thickness. Remove and keep warm.
Optional crispy ikan bilis/shallots: If using dried anchovies (ikan bilis) or want extra crunch, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small pan and fry ikan bilis briefly until crisp (30–60 seconds), or toast peanuts and fried shallots until golden. Drain on paper towel.
Preheat the dolsot (stone pot) or a heavy cast-iron skillet: Place the empty dolsot on medium-high heat for 2–3 minutes to preheat. Carefully add 1–2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or a mix of 1 tablespoon oil + 1 teaspoon sesame oil) and swirl to coat the bottom and sides. Reduce heat to medium-low so it doesn’t smoke heavily but remains hot enough to sizzle.
Assemble into the dolsot: Spoon a generous portion of the warm coconut rice into the hot dolsot and press lightly to create an even layer. Arrange a portion of each topping in sections on top of the rice: mushroom, carrots, spinach, bean sprouts, pickled cucumber, cooked beef. Drizzle a little toasted sesame oil around the rice edge (this helps form a crust).
Add egg and finish: Make a small well in the center and crack an egg into it (sunny-side up). Cover the dolsot with a lid or foil and let cook over low to medium-low heat 3–6 minutes until the egg white is set and the bottom rice forms a golden crust (nurungji). Timing depends on heat and pot—check after 3 minutes.
Serve: Carefully bring the sizzling dolsot to the table (use oven mitts or a trivet). Sprinkle scallions, toasted sesame seeds and fried shallots or peanuts and crispy ikan bilis on top. Serve with the sambal dressing and lime wedges.
How to eat: Mix everything together vigorously at the table so the egg and sambal coat the rice and toppings. Scrape the bottom to enjoy the toasted crust. Exercise caution—the dolsot is extremely hot; transfer rice to bowls if preferred.
Make-ahead and substitutions: Coconut rice can be made ahead. If you don’t have a dolsot, use a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet, or serve components in a bowl and create the crust separately by frying spoonfuls of rice in a hot pan with oil until crisp. For vegetarian version, replace beef with firm tofu slices marinated in kecap manis+sambal and pan-fried, and omit ikan bilis.
Yields: 3–4 servings depending on appetite. Adjust heat and sambal to taste.