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I made these Korean-Inspired Ground “Beef” Bulgogi bowls and it’s a really easy recipe you can put together in less than 30 minutes (or even less!).

Other toppings are totally optional but I love having bibimbap (Korean mixed rice bowl) so I wanted to add some toppings to this, similar to how I enjoy my bibimbap.

My topping picks are similar to what I have with my bibimbap: sliced carrot (that I sautéed), vegan kimchi, cucumber, chopped spring onions/scallions, and a generous drizzle of sesame oil. Basically any Korean banchan (or side dish) are a really great addition to this.

But of course, you can have these bowls with just rice and the ground bulgogi-style “beef” for a really hearty and satisfying meal perfect for busy weekdays.

KOREAN BULGOGI

This is a vegan twist on Korean Bulgogi, usually made of thin slices of beef sirloin and cooked on a grill. Growing up my go-to whenever we’d eat at our favourite Korean restaurant, I’d always share some bulgogi with my sister who loves beef. I love it for its sweet marinade. Bulgogi is usually also marinated for longer to get those flavours in but since we’re using plant-based ground for this recipe, I just cook it down in the sauce/marinade where it absorbs all those sweet and savoury flavours with a hint of spice.

HOW TO ENJOY THESE BOWLS

You can ultimately just prepare the “beef” bulgogi and top it over some rice. If you want to make something like bibimbap, then you can add other toppings and mix it all together!

For this bibimbap bowl, I added some gochujang to bring everything together.

PLANT-BASED GROUND MEAT OR TVP

For this recipe, I used plant-based ground meat. There are many different types of plant-based ground now–from Beyond Meat, Omnipork, Lightlife Foods, etc. so it’s totally up to you which you prefer to use.

Also note that some of these plant-based ground meat that are available for purchase usually have some form of seasoning and distinct flavour so you can easily just adjust the seasoning to your taste later on.

TVP or Texturised Vegetable Protein

You can also use TVP or texturised vegetable protein for this recipe. You can simple rehydrate dried TVP in water for 5-10 minutes until doubled in size.

Afterwards, drain this from the water and squeeze out any excess liquid. 

PREPARING THE KOREAN BULGOGI SAUCE/MARINADE

For the sauce/marinade, I grated some Korean pear along with some ginger and minced garlic.

I added some brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and gochujang or Korean chili paste to bring together this bulgogi marinade.

Afterwards, I added in the ground meat and mixed it in the sauce to soak the flavours.

PREPARING THE KOREAN BULGOGI SAUCE/MARINADE

Heat a large pan or wok over medium high heat. Once hot, add in the sesame oil. Add in the plant-based ground/TVP. Stir-fry over medium high heat for 6-8 minutes or until the sauce has been absorbed and the sugars start to caramelise and coat the ground ‘meat’ pieces.

Taste the pieces and then feel free to season with more soy sauce, sugar, or chili paste, to taste. Sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds and mix well. Remove this from the pan.

If using carrots for topping, sauté these over medium high heat with a little sesame oil until tender.

ASSEMBLING THE BULGOGI BOWLS

Assemble your bowls with some rice then top with the bulgogi-style ‘beef’, kimchi, carrot, sliced cucumber, spring onion/scallions and a generous drizzle of sesame oil.

You can also enjoy these bowls like bibimbap (Korean mixed rice bowl) by adding some gochujang or Korean chili paste.

Find the recipe for these bowls below!

OTHER KOREAN VEGAN RECIPES:

• Vegan Kimchi
• Korean Beansprout Salad
• Bibim Guksu (Korean Mixed Noodles)
• Sundubu Jjigae (Korean Soft Tofu Stew)
• Kimchi Noodle Soup with Dumplings
• Kimchi Noodle Stir-Fry
• Jjajangmyeon
• Kimchi Pancakes or Kimchi Jeon
• Pajeon (Korean Scallion Pancakes)

Korean-Inspired Ground “Beef” Bulgogi Bowls

5 from 10 votes

Here are Korean-Inspired Ground “Beef” Bulgogi bowls. This is a vegan twist on Korean Bulgogi, usually made of thin slices of beef sirloin and cooked on a grill. Growing up my go-to whenever we’d eat at our favourite Korean restaurant, I’d always share some bulgogi with my sister who loves beef. I love it for its sweet marinade. Bulgogi is usually also marinated for longer to get those flavours in but since we’re using plant-based ground for this recipe, I just cook it down in the sauce/marinade where it absorbs all those sweet and savoury flavours with a hint of spice.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian, Fusion, Korean

Servings 3

Calories 272 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

SAUCE/MARINADE

• 2-4 tbsp soy sauce adjust to taste (see notes)
• 2 tbsp packed dark brown sugar , 28 g
• 1.5 tsp grated ginger , 4 g
• 1 tsp gochujang Korean chili paste
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil , 30 ml
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1/3 cup finely grated Asian pear or pear puree , 85 g
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce

BULGOGI

• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 14 oz plant based ground meat (see notes)

TO SERVE

• Steamed short grain rice
• Vegan kimchi
• Sliced cucumber
• Sesame oil
• Sliced carrot I sautéed this with some sesame oil and seeds until tender
• Chopped spring onions or scallions
• Gochujang (Korean chili paste), optional

Instructions

 

Steps

• Mix all the sauce ingredients in a large bowl then place the plant-based ground. Mix well to coat.
• Heat a large pan or wok over medium high heat. Once hot, add in the sesame oil. Add in the plant-based ground/TVP. Stir-fry over medium high heat for 6-8 minutes or until the sauce has been absorbed and the sugars start to caramelise and coat the ground ‘meat’ pieces.
• Taste the pieces and then feel free to season with more soy sauce, sugar, or chili paste, to taste. Sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds and mix well. Remove this from the pan.
• If using carrots for topping, sauté these over medium high heat with a little sesame oil until tender.
• Assemble your bowls with some rice then top with the bulgogi-style ‘beef’, kimchi, carrot, sliced cucumber, spring onion/scallions and a generous drizzle of sesame oil. You can also enjoy these bowls like bibimbap (Korean mixed rice bowl) by adding some gochujang or Korean chili paste.

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Notes

Plant-based meat – you can also use 1 cup or 70g of dried TVP or texturised vegetable protein for this recipe. You can simply rehydrate dried TVP in water for 5-10 minutes until doubled in size. Afterwards, drain this from the water and squeeze out any excess liquid.

Soy sauce – some plant-based ground meat substitutes are already seasoned/salted so you can start with 1-2 tbsp soy sauce first and then just adjust to taste.

NUTRITIONAL INFO

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 272kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 788mg | Potassium: 59mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 4IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 119mg | Iron: 4mg

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