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Here’s a super simple baby-friendly bibimbap no-recipe recipe that the entire family can enjoy together! Bibimbap, one of the most beloved and iconic Korean dishes, just means mixed rice with an assortment of vegetables and meat.
What I love about this one bowl wonder is its versatility! Feel free to use whatever vegetables you prefer! This would also be great with other protein sources, like tofu, chicken, ground meat, etc., and you can also swap out rice with other grains, such as quinoa, barley, oats, and so much more! Hence, it’s a great way to repurpose your leftovers.
The traditional sauce that brings the whole dish together consists of gochujang, a Korean red pepper paste, which is way too spicy for the little ones. Enter red beet bibimbap sauce.
Even if you’re enjoying yours with the traditional sauce, you might be able to “trick” them into thinking everyone’s having the same. You just need 3 ingredients – cooked beets (steamed or roasted), apple (or pear), and a thickener of choice (e.g. corn starch, potato starch, arrowroot starch).
The amount of ingredients you use will depend on how much sauce you want to make, obviously. I like to keep the ratio for beets: apple is 1:1, and honestly, it doesn’t have to be exact. Place them in a mini processor/blender with some water to get it going and pulse until pureed.
Then pour into a saucepan (can add more water if it’s too thick) and bring to a boil. Then add starch, a little bit at a time, until thickened to your liking.
Just to give you an idea, I used 1/2 of large roasted beets + 1/4 of a fuji apple + 1/3 cup of water + 1/2 tsp potato starch.
- 2 Tablespoons Korean red pepper paste
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 tablespoon apple juice or water
- 2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
