Tofu bibimbap
A big bowl of rice topped with gochujang-glazed tofu, garlicky spinach, carrots and zucchini, mixed together at the table with a spoonful of sweet, spicy sauce.
- 55 min total
- 40 min hands-on
- A little more hands-on
- Serves 2
- About $3.63 a serving
- 920 calories
- Vegan
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Read the steps once before you start. Everything goes smoother after that.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 1 package extra-firm tofu, drained
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- 3 tbsp gochujang
- 2 tsp sesame oil, divided
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 zucchini, cut into thin half-moons
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 2 stalks green onions, thinly sliced (optional)
From your pantry
- 1½ cups water
- ½ tsp salt, divided
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
Each serving has about 920 calories, 35 g protein, 107 g carbs and 40 g fat, and costs about $3.63 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No extra-firm tofu? Firm tofu works.
- No long-grain white rice? Jasmine rice or basmati rice works.
- No baby spinach? Kale or arugula works.
- No zucchini? Yellow squash works.
- No shredded carrots? Carrots work.
- No green onions? Chives work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the rice and bring it in a small with 1½ cups water and ¼ teaspoon salt over high heat.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
High heat
Stir once, cover, and cook on low for 15 minutes. Take it off the heat and leave the lid on.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
the gochujang, soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar and 1 teaspoon sesame oil in a small bowl. Half glazes the tofu and half goes on at the table.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
the tofu dry with paper towels and cut it into ¾-inch .
Pat dry. Patting dry means pressing paper towels onto food to soak up the moisture on its surface. Wet food steams instead of browning, so this is how you get a good sear and crisp skin.
How you’ll know: The surface feels tacky, not wet, and the last paper towel comes away barely damp.
Cube. Cubing means cutting food into chunky, even squares, usually three quarters of an inch to an inch. Same-size cubes cook at the same speed and brown on every side.
How you’ll know: Your pieces look like a handful of sugar cubes, a little bigger than diced, all close to the same size.
Heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil in a large nonstick over medium-high heat.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium-high heat
Add the spinach, half the garlic and of salt and stir 1 to 2 minutes, until .
Pinch. A pinch is what you can hold between your thumb and two fingers, less than an eighth of a teaspoon. It’s a small, forgiving amount, so there’s no need to measure.
How you’ll know: It’s a light sprinkle you can barely see on the food, not a little pile.
Wilt. Wilting means cooking leafy greens just until they go soft and collapse. Greens shrink a lot, so a big pile of spinach becomes a small handful, and that’s normal.
How you’ll know: The leaves turn soft and deep green and slump into the pan, usually within a minute or two.
Medium-high heatTimer: 1 min 30 sec
Move it to a plate.
Add 1 teaspoon oil, the zucchini, carrots, the rest of the garlic and of salt, and cook 3 minutes, until just tender. Move them to the plate in their own piles.
Pinch. A pinch is what you can hold between your thumb and two fingers, less than an eighth of a teaspoon. It’s a small, forgiving amount, so there’s no need to measure.
How you’ll know: It’s a light sprinkle you can barely see on the food, not a little pile.
Medium-high heatTimer: 3 min
Dolly’s tip: Keeping the vegetables separate is what makes bibimbap look like bibimbap.Add the rest of the vegetable oil and the tofu. Cook, turning every few minutes, until and on most sides, about 10 minutes.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Crispy. Crispy means the outside is dry, firm and crunchy. It comes from high heat, a little oil and room in the pan, because crowded food steams and goes soft.
How you’ll know: It sounds crunchy when you tap or bite it, and it doesn’t flop when you lift it.
Medium-high heatTimer: 10 min
Food safety: Tofu is safe to eat straight from the package; cooking is only for texture and flavor.
Turn the heat to low, add half the sauce, and about 30 seconds, until the tofu is .
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Glaze. A glaze is a thin, glossy coating, often sweet, brushed or spooned over food near the end. It adds shine and flavor, and because it has sugar, it can burn quickly.
How you’ll know: The food looks shiny and evenly coated, sticky at the edges but not blackened.
Low heat
Spoon the rice into bowls and arrange the spinach, zucchini, carrots and tofu on top in sections. with the last teaspoon of sesame oil, sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions, and serve the rest of the sauce to stir in.
Drizzle. Drizzling means pouring a thin, slow stream over the top of something. A thin stream spreads a little flavor a long way.
How you’ll know: You see thin lines across the food, not a puddle collecting underneath.
Dolly’s tip: Mix everything together with a spoon before eating. That’s the whole point of bibimbap.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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