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:
Korean-Inspired Ground “Beef” Bulgogi Bowls
Ingredients
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.
WATCH Video
Notes
NUTRITIONAL INFO
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I love this recipe! I’ve made it a ton, especially for weekday meal plans. Thank you for sharing it.
Thanks so much Erica! ◡̈
How many ounces of TVP is the equivalent of the ground “meat?”
Hi Jennifer, you can use 1 cup of dried TVP. That’s 70g 🙂 hope this helps!
Recently, I saw a YouTube video of someone making viral vegan recipes and this recipe came up. I decided to make it and it’s so good. Will definitely make again!!!
Hey Thishka, so happy you stumbled upon that video 🙂 and thanks for giving this recipe a try!!