This vegan bibimbap recipe from Happy Vegan Food by Bettina Campolucci Bordi brings delicious flavor and bright color to your lunch. It’s a Korean-inspired rice bowl with fresh veggies, crispy asparagus, and a tangy-sweet dressing. The recipe is completely plant-based and gluten-free. Each bite brings contrast – sweet, salty, soft, and crunchy.

Bibimbap is a traditional Korean dish that literally means “mixed rice.” It tends to feature an assortment of sautéed and seasoned vegetables, and you can also add protein like tofu or plant-based meat.

Double the recipe if you want lunch meal prep ready for days. Store each component in the fridge and assemble when hungry. This vegan bibimbap makes eating a vibrant, healthy lunch easy and enjoyable.

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Putting together your bibimbap

This Korean rice bowl has different components like veggies, watercress, and sauce to make it a tasty combination.

vegan bibimbap with cabbage, white rice, shallots, sweet and sour dressing, and asparagus

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Servings

Ingredients

440 g (1 lb / 2¼ cups) white rice

For the sautéed red cabbage

1 shallot chopped in half moons
Olive oil for frying
½ head of red cabbage thinly sliced
1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce
1 tablespoon maple syrup

For the marinated carrots

2 carrots grated
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
Squeeze of lime

For the sweet & sour dressing

80 ml (2½ fl oz / ⅓ cup) tamari soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 small spring onion scallion, chopped
½ chili chopped
For the griddled asparagus
150 g (5 oz) asparagus
½ garlic clove peeled and grated olive oil

To serve

Extra greens such as watercress

Instructions

Cook the rice following the packet instructions.
While the rice is cooking, get started on the cabbage. Add the shallot to a medium pan with the olive oil and fry for 5 minutes. Then add the red cabbage and fry on a medium heat for at least 20 minutes, stirring.
After 20 minutes the cabbage should have softened. Add the tamari and maple syrup and cook for another 10 minutes. Once it has a lovely sticky consistency take off the heat and set aside.
Put all the carrot ingredients into a bowl. Give it a good mix and set aside.
Mix all the dressing ingredients together. I like to use small jar when making dressings so that I can give it a good shake and minimize mess.
Last but not least, marinate the asparagus with the grated garlic, covered with olive oil, for 10 minutes before frying. Then fry in a medium pan until nice and crisp on the outside.
Serve the dish while the asparagus is hot.
The best way to put this dish together is by getting a bowl out and adding a big spoonful of each ingredient. Serve the dressing in a small bowl or ramekin alongside.

In South Korea this dish is eaten by adding the dressing to your food and mixing all the ingredients together well on the plate.

This is such a good weekly prep dish. Just double the amounts, store them in separate containers in the fridge and build your bibimbap bowls during the week. I would always suggest freshly cooking the rice when needed just because it tastes so much better.

This recipe is republished with permission from Happy Vegan Food by Bettina Campolucci Bordi (Hardie Grant, £15), Photography © Nassima Rothacker.

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