Dolsot Bibimbap | Stone Bowl Bibimbap

This dolsot bibimbap recipe offers a delicious spin on the classic Korean rice dish served in a sizzling stone bowl. Topped with tender chicken thighs, fluffy rice, eggs, and an array of vibrant vegetables, this hearty meal is as comforting as it is satisfying.

I talk about my first experience with dolsot bibimbap in this post. Suffice to say that I love bibimbap (aka BBB) so much that I bought the two bowls you see above so I could make this delicious dish over and over!

The heated Korean stone bowl helps the rice become crispy and heats up everything in it, making for a crackling good meal. It’s magical when you mix the meat, vegetables, rice, and egg together, and so delicious when you pour on a spicy Gochujang sauce. If you can’t take the spice, eat your BBB plain or with a few shakes of soy sauce.

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The history of bibimbap

Bibimbap means “mixed rice” in Korean. It is over a century old and is derived from another dish called Goldongban, which was eaten on the night before the lunar new year. It was a time for people to clear out the leftovers from their pantries and in later years out of their refrigerator. Just mix the veggies and meat with rice and you get a great meal.

That makes every dolsot bibimbap unique and different because everyone has different items in their fridge and pantry.

Is this recipe authentic?

No. Since I’m not Korean, I don’t use some of the beloved staples they do, such as kimchi, radish salad, or Korean bean sprouts, to name a few.

When I first started to make BBB, I tried to get it as authentic as I could. I bought the bowls, I’d julienne the vegetables and cook them separately to keep the colors segregated.

I no longer do that. I do not julienne the vegetables because it’s too much work and really not necessary. Julienne veggies are pretty, but as soon as you serve this dish, you’re going to mix the whole thing together, which makes the segregation of vegetables a moot point.

I make the recipe as easy as I can because we eat dolsot bibimbap almost every week and I don’t want to dread making it (or stop making it) because of all the work. That’s just me.

Is the dolsot (stone bowl) necessary?

No. In that case, the dish won’t be called dolsot; it will just be BBB. So you don’t need to buy one but let me tell you, once you make this recipe in a hot stone bowl, you’ll never want to make it outside of one. The heated stone bowl makes the rice nice and crunchy and it keeps the BBB hot for a long time.

Is it safe to crack an egg directly on top of the rice?

Yes, if you’re using a hot stone bowl to make dolsot bibimbap. The intense heat from the bowl is enough to cook the egg as it mixes with the other ingredients.

No, if you’re not using a stone bowl. Without that extra heat, the rice and vegetables alone won’t be hot enough to fully cook the egg.

As you stir the egg into the mixture, the contact with the sizzling stone bowl and the surrounding hot ingredients will gently cook the egg, giving the dish its signature creamy texture and rich flavor.

Can I make this vegetarian or vegan?

Yes. For vegetarian BBB, omit the marinated chicken and replace it with tofu or seitan. For vegan BBB, omit both the meat and egg.

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Other ingredients you can add

• Beef
• Shrimp or some other seafood
• Carrots
• Zucchini
• Spinach
• Shiitake mushrooms
• Tofu
• Chopped green onions
• Short grain rice

How to make dolsot bibimbap

Pre-step

Cut boneless and skinless chicken in medium chunks and place them in a glass mixing bowl.

Step one

Gather the ingredients for the marinade – herbs and spices, soy sauce, and maple syrup.

Step two

Add all the above ingredients to the bowl of chicken and mix with a rubber spatula. Cover and place the bowl in the refrigerator and marinate for 30 minutes to an hour. (A)

Step three

Meanwhile, prepare jasmine rice according to the package directions. I buy the Lotus Foods organic brown jasmine rice. The cooking directions on the package call for 1 cup of rice, 1.75 cups of water, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Rinse rice well, put both the rice and water in the pan, and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.

Marinade done

Take the marinated chicken out of the refrigerator. (A)

Step four

Heat a wok or large sauté pan on medium heat.  Add one tablespoon of marinade and once that heats up, add chicken and sauté for 8 – 10 minutes. (B)

Scoop the chicken out of the pan and set aside.

Heat the bowl

Step five

Place the dolsot bowls in the oven and set the temperature to 425°F. It’s essential not to change the temperature of the bowl quickly, as this can cause it to crack.

Once the oven comes to temperature, set the timer to 10 minutes.

Step six

Once the timer beeps, turn the oven off, LEAVE the bowl in the oven and set the timer to 10 minutes.

Time for Vegetables

Step seven

Meanwhile, gather the vegetables – bok choy (I recommend baby bok choy for its tenderness), onion, red bell peppers, and mushrooms.

Step eight

Wash the vegetables well and chop them into chunks. (C)

When washing the bok choy, either don’t submerge the leaves directly under water or ensure they are thoroughly dried afterwards. Otherwise, the veggies will be swimming in water when you saute them.

Also, gather the sesame oil.

I use two woks to cook the veggies and I cook them in shifts. If you don’t own a wok, use two large sauté pans.

Step nine

Heat the pan you used to cook the chicken on medium, and once it heats up, add 1 tablespoon of oil. Once that heats up, add the onion, bell pepper, garlic paste, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt to one pan and sauté for 12 minutes. Spoon into a large bowl, keeping it separate.

Step ten

Meanwhile, heat the other pan on medium, add the sesame oil until it heats up, and add the bok choy, salt, and garlic paste. This vegetable cooks fast, so it should be done within 5 minutes. Don’t turn the heat off under the pan, but remove the bok choy. I set mine aside in a large bowl, giving it its own space.

Step eleven

Add a little more oil to the pan, then add mushrooms, garlic paste, and a pinch of salt, and sauté for around 5 minutes. Spoon them into the bowl with the rest of the vegetables, keeping them separate. (D)

Putting it together

The rice should be done. Fluff it up a bit. (F) The rest of the photos in the collage below were taken in my kitchen with the overhead light on, which gives them a yellowish cast.

Step twelve

By now, the stone bowl is ready to take out of the oven.  Place it on one of the burners and turn the heat to medium. (G)

Step thirteen

Pour a little sesame oil in the stone pot and use a silicone brush to thoroughly distribute the oil up the sides of the bowl. (H)

Step fourteen

Spoon rice in the bowl, spread it up the sides and flatten it against the bowl. (I)

Step fifteen

Spoon the veggies on the rice. (J)

Step sixteen

Add the chicken on top of the vegetables, right in the middle. (K)

Step seventeen

Set the timer for 15 minutes for crackily rice, or 10 minutes if you want softer rice.

Time for the Eggs

You can either fry an egg sunny side up OR you can crack the egg directly into the bowl, which incidentally, is my preferred way to cook it.

I enjoy serving the dolsot bibimbap to my guests with the fried egg. (E)

But Christopher and I enjoy mixing in a raw egg. (F)

Next, I take a large spoon and mix the egg in the BBB, making sure the egg has fully cooked.

I spoon the BBB in some bowls and dribble Gochujang sauce or another bibimbap sauce on top.

Delicious!

This Gochujang sauce is quite spicy so I mix the sauce in before eating it.  Christopher finds the sauce way too spicy, so he eats his BBB plain or with a little soy sauce.

I hope you enjoyed this dolsot bibimbap recipe.

And as always, may all your dishes be delish!

If you’ve tried this recipe, I’d love the know what you thought about it in the comments below.  I love hearing from you!  You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!