Learn how to make dolsot bibimbap with or without a Korean stone bowl!
I’m very excited about sharing my recipe today. It’s a dolsot bibimbap day!
Many of you already tasted my super duper delicious bibimbap recipe in the past few years and might be wondering why I’m doing another post about it?
Well, my main reason is that I’m sharing great tips on how to make dolsot bibimbap (with or without the dolsot aka Korean hot stone bowl). Are you excited?
Also, another reason is that I incorporated two Korean traditional bibimbap ingredients (gosari namul and doraji namul) in my bibimbap. After all, there’s a reason behind sharing my namul (Korean vegetable side dishes) recipes in the last two weeks. 🙂
By all means, you don’t have to add the exact same side dishes in your bibimbap bowl as bibimbap can be prepared quite casually with what you have in your fridge and pantry. (Hint: it’s such a great leftover cleaner!)
What is Dolsot Bibimbap
Bibimbap vs. Dolsot Bibimbap
Bibimbap (비빔밥) is Korean mixed rice. It includes rice, your choice of Korean side dishes and the bibimbap sauce. You typically serve these in a (mixing) bowl or in a hot stone bowl. Once served, you mix them all together nicely and shove them into your mouth. It’s super delicious and hugely addictive.
Now, dolsot bibimbap (돌솥 비빔밥). It is bibimbap served in a sizzling hot stone bowl. Some people seem to think all bibimbap is served in this hot stone bowl, but that’s not the case.
Dolsot can be a raw stone bowl or a ceramic / clay bowl. At my home, I have a ceramic bowl. I use this bowl to make some of the Korea’s finest stew (e.g. Soondubu Jjigae and Kimchi Jjigae) too.
Why Should You Make Bibimbap in a Hot Stone Bowl
If you serve bibimbap in a normal bowl, you will notice that the rice cools down quite fast. There’s nothing wrong with that. However, some people prefer having the rice and all the other ingredients in bibimbap warm if not hot.
That’s when the stone bowl comes in handy. If you prepare and serve your bibimbap in a hot stone bowl, your bibimbap will be not only nicely warm, but also it will often have a nice crispy layer of rice at the bottom of the bowl.
To some people, these are additional pleasures that are worth paying for. (Yeah, typically dolsot bibimbap is more expensive than bibimbap when you order it at a Korean restaurant.)
Can you see the scorched (slightly burnt) rice in the above picture? Mmmm, this was super crispy. (I probably could have avoided the burning bits if I wasn’t too busy taking some photographs of it. Lol #foodbloggermoment)
How to Make Dolsot Bibimbap Without a Korean Stone Bowl
When I make bibimbap at home, I used to just serve it in a bowl. Because a raw stone bowl or ceramic bowl only works on a gas stove and I have an induction stove at home.
I could take out a portable gas burner, which I often do for other cooking, but sometimes I just couldn’t be bothered doing so. (I’m sure you have those occasions too!)
Then, a brilliant idea struck a few months ago that I could perhaps try using my favorite cast iron skillet to serve my “dolsot bibimbap”.
And, I have to say I absolutely love cooking my bibimbap this way!
Seriously, you can get the “dolsot bibimbap effect” by simply cooking it in a skillet and what’s more, it’s faster and easier!
I’m sure you will love this idea too. I even included a short demo video of it below as well.
Watch The Video Tutorial: How to Make Dolsot Bibimbap Without a Korean Stone Bowl
(Listed ingredients in the video are for 2 servings.)
Now, it’s time to learn how to make dolsot bibimbap the official way! Enjoy!
Dolsot Bibimbap Ingredients for 4 servings
Meat and Meat Marinade
- 100g / 3.5 ounces rib eye fillets, thinly sliced
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp minced garlic
Vegetables and Other
- 1/2 cups (60 g / 2 ounces) Korean cucumber side dish
- 1/2 cups (60 g / 2 ounces) gosari namul (Korean fernbrake side dish)
- 1/2 cups (60 g / 2 ounces) doraji namul (sautéed bellflower root)
- 1/2 cups (60 g / 2 ounces) carrots, julienned
- 1/2 cups (60 g / 2 ounces) zucchini, julienned
- 1/2 cups (60 g/ 2 ounces) shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 4 cups steamed rice
- 4 eggs
- some cooking oil – I used rice bran oil
- sesame oil
- fine sea salt
Other Vegetable Ingredients You Could Use
- Korean spinach side dish
- Korean bean sprouts salad
- Daikon radish salad
Dolsot Bibimbap Sauce
- 2 Tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp water
- 1 Tbsp roasted sesame seeds
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (or rice vinegar)
- 1 tsp minced garlic
Note
- Feel free to check out my 3 other bibimbap sauces too!
- If you want to learn more about Korean ingredients, check my 30 essential Korean ingredients list!
- Handle with care while transferring the hot stone bowl.
- 1 Tbsp = 15 ml, 1 Cup = 250 ml
How to Make Dolsot Bibimbap
1. Prepare and cook ingredients as below.
– In a bowl, combine the meat with the marinade. Cover the bowl and leave it in the fridge while you are working on other the ingredients. When ready, Add some cooking oil into a wok and cook the meat on medium high to high heat. It takes about 3 to 5 mins to thoroughly cook it.
– Prepare the Korean cucumber side dish, fernbrake side dish and bellflower root side dish per the linked recipes. These can be prepared on a different day to save your bibimbap making time.
– Separately sauté carrots, zucchini and mushrooms in a frying pan. Season them lightly with fine sea salt.
– Mix the bibimbap sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
– Pan fry the eggs per your preference. (Sunny side up is a popular choice.)
2. Preheat an oven for 10 minutes at 220 C / 428 F. Once heated, place your stone bowl into the oven. Leave it there for 10 minutes. 10 minutes later, take it out. Drop in some sesame oil (about 1 Tbsp per medium size bowl) and brush it around. Quickly assemble your bibimbap ingredients inside the hot stone bowl. First you will have to lay down the rice. Make sure you flatten it well. Then add the meat, assorted vegetables, and the egg on top of the rice. Transfer the hot stone bowl onto the gas stove and cook it for 5 minutes over low heat. You will hear the rice crackling noise. Remove from the heat.
3. Pour the bibimbap sauce into the hot stone bowl and mix all the ingredients well. Serve.
The Best Dolsot Bibimbap Recipe
Ingredients
MEAT AND MEAT MARINADE
- 100 g rib eye fillets (3.5 ounces), thinly sliced
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp minced garlic
VEGETABLES AND OTHER
- 1/2 cup Korean cucumber side dish
- 1/2 cup gosari namul (Korean fernbrake side dish)
- 1/2 cup doraji namul (sautéed bellflower root)
- 1/2 cup carrots , julienned
- 1/2 cup zucchini , julienned
- 1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms thinly sliced
- 4 cups steamed rice
- Some cooking oil , I used rice bran oil
- sesame oil
- fine sea salt
DOLSOT BIBIMBAP SAUCE
- 2 Tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp water
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (or rice vinegar)
- 1 tsp minced garlic
Instructions
- Prepare and cook ingredients as below.– In a bowl, combine the meat with the marinade. Cover the bowl and leave it in the fridge while you are working on other the ingredients. When ready, Add some cooking oil into a wok and cook the meat on medium high to high heat. It takes about 3 to 5 mins to thoroughly cook it.
– Prepare the Korean cucumber side dish, fernbrake side dish and bellflower root side dish per the linked recipes. These can be prepared on a different day to save your bibimbap making time.
– Separately sauté carrots, zucchini and mushrooms in a frying pan. Season them lightly with fine sea salt.
– Mix the bibimbap sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
– Pan fry the eggs per your preference. (Sunny side up is a popular choice.) - Preheat an oven for 10 minutes at 220 C / 428 F. Once heated, place your stone bowl into the oven. Leave it there for 10 minutes. 10 minutes later, take it out. Drop in some sesame oil (about 1 Tbsp per medium size bowl) and brush it around. Quickly assemble your bibimbap ingredients inside the hot stone bowl. First you will have to lay down the rice. Make sure you flatten it well. Then add the meat, assorted vegetables, and the egg on top of the rice. Transfer the hot stone bowl onto the gas stove and cook it for 5 minutes over low heat. You will hear the rice crackling noise. Remove from the heat.
- Pour the bibimbap sauce into the hot stone bowl and mix all the ingredients well. Serve.
Notes
Nutrition Info (per serving)
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Hi Sue,
This is an absolutely thorough and very well explained piece on bibimbap. I love it and especially love the video. Thank you so much. A appreciate your suggestion to use a cast iron skillet instead of buying Dolsot bowls. Excellent idea.
Steve J.
Love this dish!! Want to try to make myself. But, now I have wheat and soy allergies. Suggestions for the gochujang in the sauce? Can I use siracha?
This looks delicious and very approachable for a first-timer! Which size dolsot do you have? Is it better to buy one with a lid? I’ve seen them for sale with and without lids; obviously without a lid it’s cheaper, but if it’s more useful to have a lid, I’d much rather make the investment than be regretful down the road.
I don’t have a lid for my bowl, but if you have a choice, I would go for it. It will come in handy when you serve food (to keep the food warm longer) etc.
would the dolsot bowl work on an electric stove?
Typically a ceramic cookware (such as dolsot bowl) is compatible with electric cooktop. But it won’t work on induction stove.
Thank you for sharing the recipes! I’m loving all your recipes. <3. Do you recommend bibimbap If I want to lose my weight?
We are big fans of bibimbap and have it often at Korean restaurants. My husband is such a huge fan that he bought stone bowls and I’ve made it several times. The first time I made it I was using 2 different internet recipes, flipping between the 2. I am so glad find what I need on your website. I used what ingredients I could find at our village grocery store, knowing that bibimbap is very versatile. I used bulgogi beef I’d made in my Instant Pot and had in the freezer.
We just finished our bibimbap. It was good. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Can you make dol sot in the oven with a closed bowl. Or will it only work well with direct heat
You put an empty dolsot in the oven to heat the bowl up, so that when you add the bibimbap ingredients it starts heating up straight away. If you want to put the lid on that’s fine. But I don’t see the point.
You can get small cast iron casserole dishes that would be perfect for this.
As usual everything perfect. The way you put the recipes I can understand them well.
Thank you .
Yolanda
Thanks for your feedback, Yolanda! Happy to hear! 🙂
Everything about this is FANTASTIC!!!
Thanks, Natalie! 🙂
Is there a brand that you prefer for the stone pot. We love making tofu stew and bibimbap.
No, I don’t have any brand preference for stone pot. Since I don’t live in Korea, I don’t have the luxury of “choice”. I just get what I can get hold of. 🙂
That looks good!
Do you think it would work if I use a clay pot instead?
What kind of clay pot is it? Does it look like mine?
Mine is made with clay but it’s classed as ceramic pot.
As long as your clay pot is oven safe and stove safe it should work.
I bought the same pot you have. Does it only work on a gas stove?
Yes, the clay pot only works on a gas stove. My kitchen cooktop is induction, so I have to take out my portable gas burner to use my pot. 🙂
But I can still put it in the oven?
Yes, you should be able to. Just follow my recipe above. In case you’re not aware, you do need to cook it over stove for 5 mins once all the food is in a pot.
I love bibimbap. I’ll have to give this a try.
Hope you like it!
I browned off some ground pork then added the DOLSOT BIBIMBAP SAUCE ingredients to it and let it simmer for a while. Then made some rice paper rolls with the mixture along with some rice noodles and bean sprouts. Soooo tasty. Thanks for a great site, I love it ????
That’s creative! Glad to hear you like my website! 🙂
Such. Beautiful photos!!! I never knew about the pot – fascinating! I probably can never make this because I can’t find all of the ingredients, which is sad because I would so love to taste it!
Mimi, you can alter the vegetable ingredients based on what you have. That’s the beauty of bibimbap! The only “Korean ingredients” you will need would be gochujang / Korean chili paste! Hope you get to try it soon.
I have made the basic BIBIMBAP many times over the years and it was very easy and delicious. I have never prepared Bibimbap with Gosari and Doraji as I do not stock these two items (sold in 8 oz. pouches) since they are easily perishable and must be consumed quick. The sauce in this recipe is excellent and easy to prepare. Thanks for the updated recipe!!!
This was my first time using gosari namul & doraji namul in my bibimbap too. It’s definitely an effort to go though. But I wanted to share the traditional bibimbap ingredients. After all, I’m a food blogger! Lol.
Anyway, you can try using dried gosari & doraji to turn them into namul. They last a long time (like a year or so).
Love your recipe – have been making it for the last year or so to rave reviews. We like to break the raw egg into the dolsot on top of all the ingredients at the last minute – when you stir the rice it all mixes together to create some serious umami!
Thanks! Great to hear that.
For whatever reasons, I don’t like mixing in a raw egg even if it gets cooked in my dolsot. 🙂 But for sure, it’s one of popular way to serve egg in bibimbap!
Yummy. Thank you for this recipe, I love Bibimbap.
Hope you make one soon!