Vegetarian Sweet Potato Bibimbap

Photos by Rikki Snyder

Bibimbap! Have you heard of it? You will love it!

What exactly is bibimbap? It’s a traditional Korean dish which translates to “mixed rice” (bibi = mixed, bap = rice). A variety of sautéed, raw, and pickled vegetables are served on top of white rice with a raw or over-easy egg and sliced meat. I took the Make it Meatless vegetarian approach to this bibimbap recipe by substituting roasted sweet potato slices for the meat. Sweet potatoes for meat? Does that sound like a strange substitution? I assure you, it works! The sweet potatoes are filling, flavorful, and add life to the meal.

One of my favorite parts about this dish is how much variety goes into the bowl. You can pick and choose your favorite vegetables, and create a combination of raw and cooked vegetables with a tasty sauce. I went with sautéed shiitake mushrooms and sweet potatoes, which I served with raw shredded carrot, eggs, pickled cucumbers (I used store-bought, but I’ve linked to a recipe in the ingredient list if you can’t find them!), kimchi, and a gingery chili garlic sauce drizzled over everything.

These bowls are so flavorful and satisfying that it took only a split second to realize they would be a staple in my household.

Vegetarian Sweet Potato Bibimbap

A vegetarian version of bibimbap made with roasted sweet potatoes. Inspired by Bon Appetit’s Bibimbap At Home.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

For the Sauce:

• 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tsp garlic chili sauce
• 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar

For the Mushrooms:

• 1 tbsp light sesame oil (or any other neutral-flavored oil with a high smoke point)
• 6 oz shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced (discard stems)
• 1 tbsp sauce

For the Fried Eggs:

• 1 tbsp light sesame oil (or any other neutral-flavored oil with a high smoke point)
• 4 eggs

For the Bowl:

• 4 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 large roasted sweet potato, sliced
• sesame seeds
• kimchi
• grated carrots
• pickled cucumbers
• mung bean sprouts

Instructions

To Prepare the Sauce:

1. Whisk all of the ingredients for the sauce together in a small bowl. Set aside.

To Cook the Mushrooms:

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until the liquid is released and then evaporated, about 5 minutes, stirring often.
2. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the prepared sauce and cook about 1 minute more, until absorbed. Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl and wipe out the pan.

To Fry the Eggs:

1. Heat the oil over medium heat in the same skillet you cooked the mushrooms in.
2. Once the oil is heated, crack the eggs into the pan. (There should be room for all 4 if your skillet is large enough; if not, cook them in batches.) Let the eggs cook until set, then remove from heat. (You can flip the eggs and cook them on both sides if you’re not a runny yolk fan!)

To Assemble the Bowls:

1. Divide the rice into 4 bowls.
2. Top the rice with sweet potato slices, mushrooms, and one egg. Let everyone add the remaining ingredients to their liking; serve with sauce.

Notes

Roast the sweet potato at 400°F for 40–60 minutes, until tender.