These delicious Korean Rice Bowls feature a flavorful blend of ground turkey and mushrooms, colorful veggies and a sunny side up egg on a bed of whole grain brown rice.
There’s no doubt that Korean food has become a big food trend in recent years. A wide range of Korean dining establishments have been popping up all over the map, from gourmet 5-star restaurants to more casual Korean fusion eateries, to trendy food trucks. It’s become so popular, that gochujang, which is a Korean red chili paste, has even been called the new Sriracha. I personally didn’t really experience good, authentic Korean food until I went to college. One of my best friends from college is Korean and I went home with her for a visit my freshman year. I still remember that meal at Anne’s house. I sampled bulgogi– tender pieces of grilled, marinated beef, japchae– thin glass noodles stir fried with flavorful meat and vegetables, and my favorite dish- bibimbap. All of this was served family style with a wide assortment of tasty and colorful barchan, or side dishes.
Bibimbap is probably one of the most well known Korean dishes. It literally means “mixed rice” and that’s exactly what it is. A real comfort food, bibimbap is a rice dish that’s topped with various ingredients like assorted vegetables and meat. In terms of vegetables, sautéed spinach, mushrooms, bean sprouts, zucchini, carrots and mushrooms are all common options. The dish is also usually topped with meat- typically sliced, marinated beef, and sometimes a raw or fried egg. It’s served with
gochujang and the whole dish is usually stirred together at the table just before serving.
My favorite version of bibimbap is called dolsot bibimbap, which is served in a hot stone pot. The stone bowl is heated and coated with sesame oil before the rice is added. This makes the bottom layer nice and crispy. Those are the parts we usually fight over!
gochujang and the whole dish is usually stirred together at the table just before serving.
My favorite version of bibimbap is called dolsot bibimbap, which is served in a hot stone pot. The stone bowl is heated and coated with sesame oil before the rice is added. This makes the bottom layer nice and crispy. Those are the parts we usually fight over!
When we lived in New York City, my husband Pete and I would head to Koreatown regularly to satisfy our bibimbap cravings. Now that we live in South Florida, it’s a little bit harder to find authentic Korean food so I’ve been experimenting more at home. Pete even bought me a traditional stone pot for Christmas- I can take a hint!
So I decided to try my hand at making bibimbap. I do not claim this recipe to be authentic by any means. For starters, my Korean rice bowls use brown rice instead of the white rice that’s traditionally used. I did this because I wanted to incorporate some nutritious whole grains in my dish. Secondly,
to make the dish faster, I used ground meat instead of marinating slices of meat. And finally, instead of beef, I used turkey, because that’s what I usually have on hand.
to make the dish faster, I used ground meat instead of marinating slices of meat. And finally, instead of beef, I used turkey, because that’s what I usually have on hand.
These Korean rice bowls were the perfect dish to showcase a new technique that I learned about from the Mushroom Council called “The Blend.” It’s a simple technique of blending finely chopped mushrooms with meat to create more delicious, nutritious and sustainable meals. All you have to do is:
- Chop up your favorite mushroom variety to match the consistency of the ground meat
- Blend the chopped mushrooms with the ground meat
- Cook your mushroom-meat blend to complete the recipe
It’s that simple- no extra pans or complicated techniques! To enhance their flavor even more, you can choose to roast the mushrooms first for 10-15 minutes.
The Blend is a great way to add a healthy twist to your everyday meals like burgers, tacos, meatloaf or pasta sauce. Mushrooms are fat free, cholesterol free, low in sodium and calories, and provide important nutrients like vitamin D, B vitamins, antioxidants and potassium. Blending mushrooms with meat is also an easy way of adding a serving of vegetables to your family’s dinner plates.
In addition to adding flavor and nutrients, The Blend is a great way to stretch your dollars. Incorporating mushrooms into your meat dishes adds bulk and volume, allowing you to use less meat (I only used a ½ pound of meat in this dish for 4 servings). The Blend also helps you do better for the planet. Mushrooms require minimal growing space and water, and are ready to harvest in just a matter of days, making them one of the most earth-friendly and renewable crops available.
I topped my Korean rice bowls with the delicious, savory turkey and portobello mushroom mixture that I cooked with traditional bibimbap flavorings like soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and garlic. I also adorned my bowls with an assortment of colorful vegetables: spinach that I lightly sautéed with garlic and sesame oil, julienned carrots, and thinly sliced cucumbers. To get the cucumbers even crunchier, I first sprinkled them with a bit of salt and let them drain in a colander. This helps them release any extra water.
As a final touch, I topped the bowls with a sunny-side-up egg. I can never resist a fried egg on anything and to me, the egg completes this dish. When you break into it, the runny yolk coats the rice and the rest of the ingredients, forming a delicious sauce. As is done traditionally, I stirred some gochujang into the rice just before serving as well. It adds a lovely red color and even more rich flavor to a dish that’s already bursting with flavor. I even had some kimchi (Korean fermented cabbage) that I served on the side. The tangy, crunchy pickled cabbage was the perfect accompaniment to the rice bowls.
Are you ready to dig in? I know I am!
Korean Rice Bowls with Turkey and Mushrooms
These colorful rice bowls use a blend of mushrooms and turkey combined with brown rice and plenty of vegetables!
Ingredients
Turkey Mushroom Mixture:
- 4 ounces portobello mushrooms
- ½ pound 93% lean ground turkey
- 4 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce (tamari if gluten free)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Sesame Spinach:
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 5 ounces fresh spinach
- Salt
- ¼ teaspoon sesame seeds
Other:
- 1 English cucumber
- 1 large carrot, peeled and julienned (cut into matchsticks)
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
- 4 sunny-side-up fried eggs
- Optional: Gochujang (red chili paste), kimchi
Instructions
- Finely chop the mushrooms. Put them in a bowl with the ground turkey, soy sauce, sugar, scallion,garlic, sesame oil and pepper and mix all of the ingredients together. Let the mixture marinate.
- To make the spinach, heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and add the sesame oil and garlic. Cook a few seconds until fragrant and then add the spinach. Stir until wilted. Season with a pinch of salt and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Place the spinach in a bowl
- Slice the cucumber into very thin rounds (I used a mandoline). Put the slices in a colander and sprinkle them with a pinch of salt. Let them drain while preparing the rest of the food. When ready to eat, squeeze the water out of the cucumbers.
- Heat the skillet over medium high heat and add the turkey mushroom mixture. Brown the mixture, breaking it up as it cooks. Remove from heat.
- To assemble the rice bowls, place equal portions of rice in four bowls. Place a fried egg in the center of each bowl. Arrange some of the turkey mushroom mixture, sesame spinach, sliced cucumbers and julienned carrots around the egg. Stir some gochujang into the rice and mix everything together just before serving. Serve with extra gochujang and kimchi on the side.
Nutrition
Calories: 345kcal | Carbohydrates: 31.9g | Protein: 22.1g | Fat: 13.9g | Saturated Fat: 3.8g | Sodium: 359mg | Fiber: 4g
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I've heard of bibimbap before but never really knew what it was, so thank you for explaining that it's simply mixed rice! I'd love to make a vegan version of this, do you think by omitting the turkey and eggs it will still turn out well? Or do you have any suggestions for other things I could add?
I just had some Korean-inspired dish for brunch the other day, and I've been craving Korean food a LOT the last few days. I was so excited to see that you posted a bibimbap recipe! Looks fabulous, Sonali!
Love "bowl foods" – and Korean food is becoming a fav! We have a fun restaurant here called Seoul Taco – their Gogi Bowl is amazing!
I love bibimbap! And I am a big fan of using mushrooms in place of ground meat – a great trick!
O that is such a fabulous way to use the mushrooms! These flavors are so perfect!
Gorgeous recipe and photos! I love the Mushroom blend! I was at the Menus of Change conference in Hyde Park last summer and the Mushroom council sponsored one of our evening meals. It was such a pleasure trying all of their stealth health suggestions in the burgers! I'm excited too because they are sponsoring a summit I'm planning this June for the NACUFS group I'm in charge of. I love love love their support of RDNs and the health profession! Great post Sonali!
What a beautiful bowl of food! I love mushrooms and the whole concept of the blend. I had the fun experience of going to a mushroom farm tour last summer with The Mushroom Council and I learned so much. I use mushrooms a ton in my cooking, so it was especially neat to learn all about how they are grown and harvested.
Look at that gorgeous egg in the middle!!! We have a good Korean restaurant in our small town– I feel lucky! This looks amazing, as always and your pictures are perfect.
I want this right now!! I was introduced to Korean food many years ago by a boyfriend. He didn't last but my love for bibimbap sure did – this looks amazing and I love your tweaks.
This looks amazing! I love the idea of bowl foods!
This looks so wonderful! Perfect for a weeknight dinner, thanks for the recipe!
This recipe is perfect, fresh comfort food in my book. Pinned this one to my private "must try!" board 🙂
Yummmmmmmmm! This looks so great! Definitely a big bowl of comfort!
Yours may have been the best Korean rice bowl I have ever tried. I also added shiitake mushrooms and cooked it with quinoa instead. I think the kimchi and gojuchang are essential parts of this dish! Very tasty thank you!
I love korean food! I'll be honest, I am not usually a mushroom fan, but I would totally try them out in this beautiful bowl!
I haven't had much Korean food, but this bowl of goodness is showing me the error of my ways! Just lovely, Sonali!
Looks like a very healthy and delicious meal!
Trying this out with the family for sure…
Thank you for sharing!
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