Read the post in:
繁體中文
Tasty, a little spicy, and so flavorful, these 2 Korean dishes I’ve been loving since I was a kid: Kimchi Fried Rice and Bibimbap. Oh, and both of them are vegan.

Recently I made a batch of Vegan Kimchi, which inspires me to make more Korean dishes. Then I think of my 2 favorite Korean dishes: Kimchi Fried Rice and Bibimbap.

Vegan Bibimbap
I remember that when I was little, my father often when to buy the vegetable bibimbap in an Korean restaurant for me. I could eat a huge bowl by myself even though I was just 9 year old.
Bibimbap is mainly made with different vegetables and rice. The ones that in regular Korean restaurants usually contain meat, which is totally not necessary. Because what most important is the flavor and the sauce.
So I was thinking, why not make it my own so I can have my bibimbap whenever I want? And here we go.

The most important thing in this dish is the sauce based on gochujang, a Korean chili paste. You can just use a store-bought one to make the whole thing easier. I just made my own based on Minimalist Baker‘s recipe.

To make this vegan bibimbap more satisfying, I include one of my favorite food: Tofu. Tofu will give this dish more body and more nutrition. They are also a great “sponge” to absorb flavor. That make a 3 wins!
First, we need to marinate our tofu. In the meantime, you can cook your rice and prepare the vegetables.

For the vegetable part, I use what I have at hand. They are also common in Taiwan: Carrots, bean sprouts, and cucumber. I also add some sliced red cabbage to give this dish more color. Oh, I almost forgot. This party is not complete without kimchi.
Drizzled with the bibimbap sauce, this bowl is what I love to dive in.


The bibimbap sauce is mainly made with gochujang, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and toasted sesame oil. The combining flavor is really really good! I think this is what make bibimbap stay in my heart for so long.
I personally love to add more gochujang and some toasted sesame seeds on top when serving.

Vegan Kimchi Fried Rice
And the second recipe is Vegan Kimchi Fried Rice. It’s also based on rice with some fried vegetables. The ingredient list for this one is shorter but the flavor is not lesser.

For this dish, it’s better to use pre-cooked, cold rice. Just cook the rice the day before and refrigerate it overnight or at least for 3-4 hours.
This dish also tastes better when using the kimchi that has been fermented longer than usual, which will give this fried rice more obvious sourness to elevate the whole flavor.

For the vegetable part, just use what you have at hand. I use carrots, frozen beans, and some tofu (yes, again).
The flavor of this kimchi fried rice is based on ginger, garlic, toasted sesame oil, and kimchi. (you can make my vegan kimchi or use store-bought one)
Seasoned with some soy sauce and toasted sesame on top, this vegan kimchi fried rice is simple, tasty, and great for meal prep.
I love fried rice. They might look messy but that’s a sign of different flavors for me. This reminds me that I used to eat 4 fried rice a week when I was a senior high student.
Anyway, if you’re interested in more Asian recipes, check out my Steamed Stinky Tofu, Easy Vegan Pad Thai, and Japchae (Korean Veggie Stir Fry Noodles).
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. If you make this recipe, don’t forget to tag @Barrelleaf + #barrelleaf on Instagram. I always love to see them and to know how it goes.
全植物韓式拌飯 Vegan Bibimbap
食材
- 2 cups cooked rice 煮熟米飯, 2 碗
- 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds 熟芝麻, I use both white and black
Tofu & Marinade
- 200 g firm tofu 板豆腐, drained out the water
- ¼ nashi pear 亞洲梨, or apple
- 3 garlic cloves 蒜瓣, minced 切末
- 1 tbsp soy sauce 醬油, or tamari for the gluten-free version
- 1 tbsp brown sugar 紅糖
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil 白芝麻油
- ½ tsp ginger 薑, minced 切末
Bibimbap Sauce
- 4 tbsp gochujang 韓式辣椒醬, more for drizzling
- 1 garlic cloves 蒜瓣, minced 切末
- 2 tbsp mirin 味醂
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar 米醋
- 1.5 tsp soy sauce 醬油, or tamari for the gluten-free version
- ½ tbsp brown sugar 紅糖
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil 白芝麻油
- 1 tsp
liquid aminos 無麩質氨基酸醬油 , or soy sauce 或普通醬油 - ½ tsp ginger 薑, minced 切末
Vegetables
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil 白芝麻油, divided 平分
- 1 small carrot 胡蘿蔔, chopped into strips 切細條
- A handful beansprouts 豆芽菜, rinse 洗淨
- A pinch salt 鹽
- 1 small cucumber 小黃瓜, chopped into sticks 切條
- 1 red cabbage 紫高麗菜, finely chopped 切絲
Vegan kimchi 韓式泡菜 , as many as you want
作法
Prepare Marinated Tofu
- Start by drain out the water from the tofu and chop it into thick slices.
- In a deep plate, grate the pear and add the rest ingredients. Mix to combine.
- Place the tofu slices into the plate and let it sit there while we prepare the Bibimbap sauce and vegetables.
Make Bibimbap Sauce
- Add all ingredients into a small pan. Mix them together and cook the mixture over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Turn off the heat and set it aside for later use.
Cook Vegetables
- Carrot: Add 1 teaspoon of sesame oil to the non-stick deep frying pan over medium heat. Add the carrot strips in along with a pinch of salt. Stir fry until the carrots are soft. Add some hot water to prevent sticking if needed. Once soft, transfer the carrots to a plate.
- Beansprouts: In the same frying pan, add 1 teaspoon of sesame oil. Stir fry the beansprouts as you do with the carrots. I add some ground black pepper as well to elevate the flavor. Once soft, turn off the heat transfer them to a plate.
Cook Marinated Tofu
- Use the same non-stick frying pan. Heat the pan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, place the tofu slices and cook the first side for about 3-4 minutes then the other side for 1 minute.
- Add the marinated sauce into the pan and cook until the sauce reduced. Turn off the heat and start to assemble.
Assemble
- Place warm rice in bowls or plate.
- Top with the cooked vegetables, cucumber sticks, chopped cabbages, vegan kimchi, and the tofu slices.
- Drizzle some Bibimbap sauce and a little gochujang if you like.sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds on top. Enjoy!
中文版
準備醃豆腐
- 將豆腐水份瀝乾,切成粗片塊
- 取一深盤,將梨子刨入成泥,加入其它調味料混合均勻
- 放入豆腐片塊,讓它靜置一陣子,我們來準備其它食材
製作拌飯醬
- 將全部的食材放入一小醬料鍋中。混合在一起後,用中火加熱,煮至糖融,混合醬液小冒泡後就熄火,放到旁邊備用
炒蔬菜
- 紅蘿蔔:取一不沾深炒鍋,以中火加熱,放入 1 tsp 芝麻油,鍋熱後放入蘿蔔條與 1 小撮鹽,拌炒至蘿蔔條軟。視情況可添加些許熱水入鍋防沾黏。炒熟後,盛取於盤上備用
- 豆芽菜:用同一個不沾炒鍋,鍋內放 1 tsp 芝麻油,以像炒胡蘿蔔那樣的方式拌炒豆芽菜至軟化,可加些許黑胡椒粉增加香氣。之後熄火,同樣盛於盤上備用
煎豆腐
- 用同一個不沾平底炒鍋,以中火熱鍋,鍋內後放入豆腐片塊,第一面煎約 3-4 分鐘,第二面煎 1 分鐘
- 放入醃豆腐剩下的醬料,煮至醬汁收了一些,再熄火,準備組合
備註
- Store the leftover bibimbap sauce in an air-tight jar in the fridge. It should last about 2 weeks. You can use it as a simple stir-fry sauce or dressing for vegetables.
全植韓式泡菜炒飯 Vegan Kimchi Fried Rice
食材
- 400 ml cooked rice 煮熟米飯, 1 cup + ¾ cup, chilled in the fridge for at least 3 hours
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil 白芝麻油
- 1 garlic clove 蒜瓣, minced
- 1 small piece ginger 薑, minced
- 200 g firm tofu 板豆腐, drained & dried
- 1/2 small carrot 胡蘿蔔, cubed
- 120 ml peas 豌豆, ½ cup. I use frozen peas and defrost them
- 1 Tbsp+1 tsp soy sauce 醬油, or tamari if sensitive to gluten
- 3 tbsp
vegan kimchi 韓式泡菜 - A sprinkle toasted sesame seeds 熟芝麻, I use a mix of both black and white
作法
- Do you best to dry out the moisture from the tofu then chop them into cubes.
- Grab a non-stick frying pan. Add the sesame oil to the pan over medium heat.
- Once the pan is hot, add the minced garlic and ginger. Stir fry for 20-30 seconds.
- Place the tofu cubes into the pan and let it sit there for 2-3 minutes on the first side. Then use a silicone turner to gently stir-fry them until four sides are a little golden brown.
- Add the cubed carrots and peas. Stir fry for another 1 minutes.
- Add the chilled cooked rice. Use the turner to separate the rice if they stick together.
- Once all rice is separated, add the soy sauce and stir fry until all rice is covered with the sauce.
- Add the kimchi and turn off the heat. Stir all together and transfer them to serving bowls. Sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds on top and maybe more kimchi if you like. Enjoy!
Video
備註
- The recipe starts at 3:25 in the video.