Last week I came across an article on the New York Times about using quinoa in bibimbap which was an interesting coincidence since I had recently tried the same thing. Bibimbap is a Korean dish that consists of various vegetables and meats served in a bowl over rice with a spicy chili sauce. I have been enjoying exploring new uses for quinoa and it makes a great substitute for rice so I thought that a quinoa bibimbap would be a nice idea. Normally bibimbap has a meat in it but this time I was thinking about a vegetarian version with winter vegetables starting with butternut squash that I tossed in gochugaru, Korean style chili pepper flakes, and roasted until nice and tender. I often like to include spinach in bibimabap but I was thinking that swiss chard would be a nice substitution this time. I then build up the bibimbap with some sauteed shiitake mushrooms, grated cucumber and carrots. I have done a lot of warm quinoa salads recently and I have been enjoying the combination of the beans in those salads so I tried adding some black beans to this bibimbap before finishing it off with a fried egg and some spicy gochujang sauce . Quinoa once again proved how versatile it is working amazingly well as a substitute for rice in this bibimbap where its texture played particularly well with the other ingredients making for one really tasty and healthy meal.
Although it is nice to present bibimbap nice and neat with all of the ingredients showing, it is best to mix it all up before eating it.
Roasted Butternut Squash, Black Bean and Swiss Chard Quinoa Bibimbap
A bibimbap made with quinoa instead of rice and topped with gochugaru roasted butternut squash, black beans, steamed swiss chard, sauteed shiitake mushrooms, shredded cucumber and carrots and a fried egg along with a healthy does of hot sauce.
ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon gochugaru
- 2 cups butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 2 cups water
- 1 bunch swiss chard, sliced
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 4 ounces shiitake, sliced
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup black beans
- 1/2 cup cucumber, shredded
- 1/2 cup carrot, shredded
- toasted sesame seeds to taste
- toasted seaweed powder to taste
- green onions to taste
- gochujang sauce to taste
directions
- Mix the oil and gochugaru, toss with the butternut squash, place in a single layer on a baking pan and bake in a preheated 350F/180C oven until tender, about 30-40 minutes.
- Meanwhile bring the water and quinoa to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender then remove from heat and cover with lid.
- Steam the swiss chard.
- Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat, add the shiitake mushrooms, saute until slightly caramelized, about 7-10 minutes and set aside.
- When the butternut squash is ready, fry the eggs.
- Assemble bibimbap, garnish with toasted sesame seeds, toasted seaweed powder, green onions to taste and gochujang sauce.
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What a lovely Korean quinoa bowl, Kevin! I thought bibimbap was supposed to have crunchy rice but I am not sure that quinoa would get the same texture.
Bibimbap is one of our favorites, and I just love how you made this healthier with quinoa and swiss chard.
What an great culinary idea! Creative, simple, tasty, inexpensive, and nourishing.
So healthy, original and delicious looking!
Cheers,
Rosa
Kevin, your ceaseless culinary creativity is just astounding! What a fantastic idea to use quinoa!
What a great idea! I love the thought of quinoa in bibimbap — two of my favorite foods!
Very creative and delicious idea – quinoa is so versatile! I love bibimbap and can't wait to try this!
A wonderful looking bowl and the mixing it all up makes it much more satisfying I'm sure. Thank you for sharing and I love the pics a lot.
How can you always come up with the best ideas?! This dish looks fantastic!
using quinoa is such a great idea in lieu of regular white rice. i've gotten into the habit of doing this and i haven't had the usual carb cravings.
this is my fave korean dish, it looks great!
That looks amazing. I've only ever had it with meat, but I love squash with spicy flavors. I'll be making this later this week.
I love quinoa!
Your version of bibimbap sounds a hell of a lot better than traditional bibimbap!
I'm so happy right now just looking at this…imagine how thrilled I'll be to eat it!
loooooooves bimbimbap….Korean food are so tastyyyy….since I came from Indonesia, you should try to cook our recipes such as Rendang, sate ayam, and Nasi Goreng…
This looks delicious, I cant wait to try it
It look really tasty!
This looks and sounds awesome! Must make ASAP!
I love bibimbap with quinoa! But I guess it should be called bibim-quinoa. 🙂 I love that you have so many Korean and Korean-influenced recipes. Guy after my own heart!