Dolsot Spicy Gochujang Chicken Bibimbap (Korean Stone Pot Rice Bowl)

Dolsot Bibimbap (Dolsot = stone bowl, Bibimbap = mixed meat/veggie rice bowl) is a very popular Korean dish. What exactly comprises a dolsot bibimbap? It is essentially a meat with egg(s), and an assortment of vegetables all above a bed of rice that is continuously getting scorched, crackly, and crunchy from the piping hot stone bowl Beef is the meat that is normally prepared for bibimbap. In this case, I will be using Gochujang marinaded chicken, which works just as well!

The dolsot is a stone bowl that is extremely good at retaining heat, which means that your dish will stay piping hot from beginning to end. Perhaps one of my favorite reasons for eating bibimbap out of a dolsot is because the rice at the bottom and sides becomes crackly and scorched from the heat retained in the stone bowl, which makes for an amazingly crunchy texture. Additionally, since the stone bowl is so hot, you can literally add an egg or two and it will literally cook as you mix it in the pot. What results is a super fun and unique culinary experience that will always be exciting each time to eat Dolsot Bibimbap! If you don’t have a dolsot, its okay! You can totally make this dish without it, but it will just be called bibimbap.

!Warning: Dolsots remain really hot throughout the entirety of the meal. Do not directly touch the dolsot as you eat or you can risk some burns. I know the saying “you are what you eat”, but don’t turn yourself into a bibimbap by burning yourself as you eat this amazing meal!

Ingredients
For Gochujang Chicken (For about 6 servings)
-9-10 chicken thighs, sliced thinly
-1/3rd cup Gochujang (Korean red chili paste)
-1/4th cup light brown sugar
-1/4th cup Maggi sauce
-1 Tbsp sesame oil
-1 Tbsp rice vinegar
-4 cloves garlic, minced
-1 tsp kosher salt
-1 tsp black pepper
-Neutral oil for saute’ing (eg. vegetable oil)

Bibimbap Toppings (for 6 servings)
-6 eggs (1 per bowl)
-4 medium carrots, julienned
-2 cup Shiitake mushrooms, sliced thin
-2 cup purple cabbage, shredded
-2 cucumber, chopped
-Kosher salt, to taste
-6 cups of steamed white rice if you want to treat yourself, or brown rice if you are trying to be healthy

Spinach Topping (for 6 servings)
-16 oz of spinach
-2 Tbsp sesame oil
-Sesame seeds, to garnish
-Garlic salt, to taste
-Kosher salt, for boiling

Useful Tools
-Dolsot (Hot stone bowl)
-Oven mitts or heat-resistant gloves
-Scissors
-Strainer

Procedure
Gochujang Chicken
1) In a mixing bowl, add gochujang, light brown sugar, Maggi sauce, sesame oil, rice veingar, garlic, kosher salt, and black pepper and mix.
2) Add sliced chicken and marinade at least 2 hours (ideally, overnight).
3) Heat a pan on high heat and add some neutral oil. Add the chicken to the pan and cook for about 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, stirring chicken around occasionally. (Cut a piece of chicken in half with scissors to see if it’s cooked thoroughly).
4) Allow to cool for 5 minutes before eating.

Spinach Topping
1) Snip out any large spinach stems. Rinse thoroughly.
2) Add water and a pinch of salt to a pot. Bring the pot to boiling.
3) Quickly add all the spinach into the pot. Boil for 30 seconds and then quickly remove spinach from water with a strainer.
4) Stop the cooking process by running cold water on the spinach.
5) Squeeze the spinach to remove excess water.
6) Add garlic salt and sesame oil to the spinach and mix.
7) Garnish with sesame seeds to make it look all pretty.

Other Bibimbap Toppings
1) Lightly oil a cooking pan.
2) Individually cook the carrots, mushrooms and cabbage from each other (don’t put them all in and mix it up.
3) Season with salt and cook on medium-high heat for approx 3-4 minutes to soften.

Dolsot Preparation
!Caution: Dolsots will be extremely hot and will burn you if you are not wearing oven mitts or heat-protecting gloves. You will not be able to determine if the dolsot is hot by appearance alone, so when in doubt, wear gloves. Be sure to take the proper safety precautions when handling the dolsot!
1) To prepare the dolsot, first fill the bowl 3/4ths the way with water and add approx a teaspoon of kosher salt.
2) Place the dolsot directly on the stove flame and bring the water to a simmer for 10 minutes on medium heat.
3) After 10 minutes, remove the water from the dolsot and allow the lingering water to evaporate.
4) Once the water has evaporated, season the inside of dolsot by brushing sesame oil.

5) Turn flame back on again and add steamed rice into the bowl.
6) Once the rice begins to crackle, quickly add an egg (you can optionally cook the egg sunny-side up before adding to the dolsot).
7) Assemble your other toppings (meat and veggies) and serve.

• 

• 

Observations/Tips
-Stone dolsots retain heat extremely well, and will keep your food hot throughout the entirety of the meal. Be sure that whoever is eating is also aware that the dolsot is hot and can potentially burn during the course of the meal (especially children, it is advised not to serve this to younger children in a dolsot).
-Don’t leave your rice scorching at the bottom for too long, or it may begin to burn. It is traditionally best to serve these right away and mixing all ingredients together so the egg can cook thoroughly, and the rice remains crispy and crunchy.
-Bibimbap is highly customizable. Other veggies that are served traditionally with this dish include daikon, beansprouts, and zucchini! Make this dish your own!
-The rice crackle (it will sound a bit like that Rice Krispies “Snap, Crackle, Pop!” cereal, except slightly louder and more violent sounding) will signify that the dolsot is really heated up and ready to serve.
-Sesame oil will prevent your rice from sticking to the dolsot, and will also add a nice scent and charring.

References
–My Korean Kitchen’s Dolsot Bibimbap Recipe