Bibimbap
ビビンバ
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Bibimbap is a Korean rice bowl piled with seasoned vegetables and meat, and it is a firm favorite on Japanese school lunch menus. This preschool version keeps things gentle: spinach, bean sprouts, and carrot are dressed in sesame oil and soy sauce, and ground pork is simmered into a sweet-savory soboro that even picky eaters happily mix into their rice. The miso sauce with a touch of chili bean paste is optional, so you can spoon it over the grown-ups' and older kids' bowls while the little ones enjoy theirs plain.
Toddlers to adults. Portion out the children's share before the final seasoning, then season the rest for adults.
Wheat-free, but uses soy sauce and miso (made with wheat). Japanese school-lunch allergy menus usually allow them, so check with your doctor. How to read the labels
Added. Open the recipe helper (bottom right) → ☰ Menu → 🛒 Shopping list to see the ingredients for your family size.
Printing uses the number of adults and children set under Ingredients, so set those first.
Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Namul (Vegetables)
- 36 gspinach
- 48 gbean sprouts
- 24 gcarrot
Seasonings (A)
- 2.4 gsoy sauce (for the namul)
- 2.4 gsesame oil
- 0.4 gsalt
- 1.8 gwhite sesame seeds
Soboro (Ground Meat)
- 78 gground pork
- 1.2 gvegetable oil
Seasonings (B)
- 1.8 ggarlic paste (tube)Grated garlic sold ready to use in a squeeze tube, a staple in Japanese kitchens. Japanese school lunch kitchens grate fresh garlic for its aroma, but for cooking at home Aoi says the tube works just fine. Tube pastes often contain added salt, oil and other ingredients, so check the label. Substitute: Use freshly grated garlic in the same amount. 1 teaspoon of paste is about 5 g.
- 6 gsoy sauce (for the soboro)
- 1.2 gsugar (for the soboro)
Miso Sauce (Optional)
- 6 gmisoFermented soybean paste. Salty and savory, it is Japan's everyday seasoning for miso soup and many simmered dishes. Substitute: Any light (white or awase) miso. Misos differ in saltiness, so start with a little less and taste. Some misos are made with barley or wheat, so check the label if you avoid them.
- 3.6 gmirinMirin is a sweet Japanese rice seasoning that adds gentle sweetness and a glossy finish. Hon-mirin (true mirin) contains about 14% alcohol; "mirin-style seasoning" has little or no alcohol. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: For each tablespoon of mirin, use 1 tablespoon water plus 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar.
- 1.8 gsugar (for the miso sauce)
- 0.6 gdoubanjiang (Chinese chili bean paste)A salty, spicy Sichuan paste of fermented broad beans and chilies; use a very small amount for children. Substitute: Gochujang, or a little miso mixed with a few drops of chili sauce. Many gochujang brands contain wheat, and some doubanjiang and miso do too, so check the labels if you avoid wheat.
- 3.6 gwater
To Finish
- 0.9 cup (rice bowl)warm cooked rice
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- garlic paste (tube) (にんにくチューブ)
- Grated garlic sold ready to use in a squeeze tube, a staple in Japanese kitchens. Japanese school lunch kitchens grate fresh garlic for its aroma, but for cooking at home Aoi says the tube works just fine. Tube pastes often contain added salt, oil and other ingredients, so check the label. Substitute: Use freshly grated garlic in the same amount. 1 teaspoon of paste is about 5 g.
- miso (みそ)
- Fermented soybean paste. Salty and savory, it is Japan's everyday seasoning for miso soup and many simmered dishes. Substitute: Any light (white or awase) miso. Misos differ in saltiness, so start with a little less and taste. Some misos are made with barley or wheat, so check the label if you avoid them.
- mirin (みりん)
- Mirin is a sweet Japanese rice seasoning that adds gentle sweetness and a glossy finish. Hon-mirin (true mirin) contains about 14% alcohol; "mirin-style seasoning" has little or no alcohol. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: For each tablespoon of mirin, use 1 tablespoon water plus 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar.
- doubanjiang (Chinese chili bean paste) (豆板醤)
- A salty, spicy Sichuan paste of fermented broad beans and chilies; use a very small amount for children. Substitute: Gochujang, or a little miso mixed with a few drops of chili sauce. Many gochujang brands contain wheat, and some doubanjiang and miso do too, so check the labels if you avoid wheat.
Directions
Video is in Japanese — the steps below are synced to it, so tap ▶ on a step to jump to that moment.
- 1
Make the namul. Cut the spinach into 5 cm lengths. Cut the carrot into 4 cm matchsticks.
- 2
Put the water and carrot in a pot, bring to a boil, and boil for about 1 minute. Add the spinach and bean sprouts; once the water returns to a boil, transfer everything to a colander and cool under running water. Squeeze out the excess water and toss with A. Note: If you are also making a toddler version, boil for about 2 more minutes, then set that portion aside and toss it with about 70% of A. Toss the rest for elementary-school age and up, tasting as you go.
- 3
Make the soboro. Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add the ground pork and B, and stir-fry until the pork is cooked through. Note: For toddlers, set their portion aside once it has been fried with about 70% of B. For elementary-school age and up, add the remaining B to taste and give it a quick stir-fry.
- 4
If you like, make the miso sauce. Put all the miso sauce ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl, stir, and microwave at 1200W for about 20 seconds, then let cool slightly. Note: If the sauce has not thickened, heat in additional 5-second bursts, checking each time.
- 5
Top the rice with the namul and soboro, and drizzle with the miso sauce. Note: For toddlers, serve as is without the miso sauce.
Tips for Best Results
- You can adjust the heat with the amount of doubanjiang. The bowl is delicious even without the miso sauce, so add it or not as you like!
- Spinach is hard for toddlers to bite through, so chopping it finely makes it easier for them to eat.
Freezing Instructions
Freeze the namul and soboro separately in single-portion freezer bags. To serve, reheat in the microwave; lightly squeeze the namul before placing it on the rice.
Keeps for about 2 weeks (best eaten as soon as possible).
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 253.5 kcal | 507 kcal | 253.5 kcal |
| Protein | 16.4 g | 32.8 g | 16.4 g |
| Fat | 17.5 g | 35 g | 17.5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 11.7 g | 23.4 g | 11.7 g |
| Fiber | 3.1 g | 6.1 g | 3.1 g |
| Salt equivalent | 2.5 g | 4.9 g | 2.5 g |
| Calcium | 67.5 mg | 135 mg | 67.5 mg |
| Iron | 1.7 mg | 3.5 mg | 1.7 mg |
| Potassium | 512.3 mg | 1024.5 mg | 512.3 mg |
| Phosphorus | 153 mg | 306 mg | 153 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | Phosphorus | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 253.5 kcal | 16.4 g | 17.5 g | 11.7 g | 3.1 g | 2.5 g | 67.5 mg | 1.7 mg | 512.3 mg | 153 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 507 kcal | 32.8 g | 35 g | 23.4 g | 6.1 g | 4.9 g | 135 mg | 3.5 mg | 1024.5 mg | 306 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
