Bulgogi Deopbap (Bulgogi Rice Bowl) (2024)

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This bulgogi rice bowl is an easy one-dish meal! The recipe adds extra veggies and sauce to make it a well balanced one-dish meal.

Bulgogi Deopbap (Bulgogi Rice Bowl) (1)
What is deopbap?

Literally meaning “covered rice,” deopbap (덮밥) basically is a bowl of rice topped with some sort of topping. It’s a casual one-dish meal that can be prepared with any dishes or ingredients that are enjoyed with rice. The full name of the dish is determined based on the main topping, such as ojingeo (squid) doepbap, dubu (tofu) deopbap, jeyuk (spicy pork) deopbap, etc.

As is the case in many other Asian cuisines, there are many types of rice bowls in Korea. Bibimbap is similar in concept, i.e., toppings on a bowl of rice, but it gets the name from the way it’s eaten – mixing everything with a sauce.

While there are exceptions, doepbap generally is a rice bowl type where a little bit of saucy toppings is eaten with a spoonful of rice without being completely mixed like bibimbap.

Bulgogi deopbap is a common deopbap dish in Korea. This recipe has a full bulgogi recipe, but you can easily make this with leftover bulgogi simply by adding more vegetables and sauce for a well balanced one-dish meal.

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How to make a bulgogi rice bowl

When you cook bulgogi, it will naturally release some delicious sauce. Try not to cook it off by lowering the heat.

I add a little bit more sauce when cooking the marinated meat, depending on how much sauce you want mixed in your rice. Anchovy broth or dasima broth is great for that extra sauce, but you can simply use water if you like. Make sure to season the broth/water not to dilute the seasoning of the meat.

When the rice absorbs that slightly sweet and savory sauce from the bulgogi, it’s incredibly tasty!

You can use the same concept to make deopbap with dak bulgogi (chicken) or jeyuk bokkeum(spicy pork bulgogi).

Vegetable options

You can add some of your favorite vegetables while cooking bulgogi and make it a perfectly balanced meal. I added mushrooms and carrots in the recipe. Bok choy is another favorite of mine. Green cabbage, chili peppers, broccoli, bell peppers are all good options as well.

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For more Korean cooking inspirations, follow along on YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Bulgogi Deopbap (Bulgogi Rice Bowl) (5)

Bulgogi Deopbap (Bulgogi Rice Bowl)

4.75 from 8 votes

Main

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

23 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 pound thinly sliced beef (rib eye, top sirloin, chuck tender, etc.) Note 1
  • 2 scallions cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1/2 small onion thinly sliced
  • 4 servings of cooked rice

Marinade

  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 2 tablespoons sugar (or replace 1 TB with honey)
  • 1 tablespoon rice wine (mirin or mirim) or mirin
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
  • 2 tablespoons grated Asian pear (you can use more) optional
  • teaspoon pepper

Sauce

  • 1/2 cup water (or anchovy, dasima, or vegetable broth) Note 2
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sugar (omit for less sweet dish)

Vegetables (Note 3)

  • 4 ounces mushrooms (white, crimini, or shiitaki, oyster, etc.), thinly sliced
  • 1 small carrot, thinly sliced

Instructions

  • Mix all the marinade ingredients in a large bowl.

    Bulgogi Deopbap (Bulgogi Rice Bowl) (6)

  • If using packaged pre-sliced meat, separate the slices. Add the meat, onion, and scallions to the marinade. Toss gently, with hands, to mix everything well. Marinate for 30 minutes to an hour in the fridge.

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  • Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add the meat along with any remaining marinade. Cook the meat for about a minute. Try not to cook off the sauce by lowering the heat if needed. Then, add the vegetables and the sauce. Stir-fry for an additional 2 - 3 minutes until the meat and vegetables are cooked. Serve over rice.

    Bulgogi Deopbap (Bulgogi Rice Bowl) (8)

Notes

  1. Pre-sliced bulgogi meat is sold at Korean markets. Pay a little more to get good quality meat. If cutting the beef at home, partially freeze for about an hour to firm it up for easier slicing. Cut across the grain into about - inch thick slices.
  2. Recipes: anchovy broth ordasima or vegetable broth.
  3. Bok choy, green cabbage, chili peppers, broccoli, and bell peppers are all good options as well.

Tried this recipe?Mention @koreanbapsang or tag #koreanbapsang!

This recipe was originally posted in December 2011. I’ve updated it here with more information, new photos, and minor changes to the recipe.

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Bulgogi Deopbap (Bulgogi Rice Bowl) (2024)

FAQs

What is bulgogi deopbap? ›

Literally meaning “covered rice,” deopbap (덮밥) basically is a bowl of rice topped with some sort of topping. It's a casual one-dish meal that can be prepared with any dishes or ingredients that are enjoyed with rice.

How many calories in a Korean bulgogi rice bowl? ›

1 bowl of beef bulgogi rice bowl (Bibigo) contains 370 Calories.

What is the difference between bibimbap and bulgogi? ›

Bulgogi is a simpler dish than bibimbap while bibimbap is a bit more wholesome, with vegetables and an extra kick from gochujang. The way the beef for each dish is prepared varies as well, with both dishes sporting beef cooking in a particular way that can't really be swapped for the other.

What does bulgogi mean in Korean? ›

Bulgogi (불고기) is the name of a Korean dish, literally translating to “fire meat.” This famous Korean dish has existed for thousands of years, and it is now gaining popularity in Western countries like the United States and Canada.

How do you eat Deopbap? ›

The manner of eating hoedeopbap is almost the same as that used to eat bibimbap: using a spoon, all the ingredients are mixed by the diner at the table before eating.

Why does bulgogi taste so good? ›

The beef is marinated in a blend of soy sauce, sesame oil, onion, garlic, ginger, sugar, asian pear, and black pepper. It's marinated for several hours which flavors and tenderizes the meat. The flavor of bulgogi is savory, salty and sweet.

Is bibimbap the same as deopbap? ›

Unlike bibimbap, the vegetables are uncooked, so it's a lot simpler to prepare. Hoe-deopbap with a bowl of doenjangguk (soybean paste soup) simply can't be beat. You can make a quick vegetarian version of this by substituting the fish with fried tofu. Also, if you like mint or perilla leaves, add them to the dish.

Why do Koreans eat bulgogi? ›

From 1910 to 1945, Korea was under Japanese rule, and serious beef shortages swept the nation. As a result, beef prices soared, and the prominence of the bulgogi dish waned. By the 1990s, however, the dish's popularity rebounded. It is collectively known as one of the most popular foods in Korea today.

What do Koreans eat with bulgogi? ›

You can serve this over a bed of rice (white rice, brown rice, fried rice, any kind of rice) with a side of kimchi, cucumbers, perilla leaves, and ssamjang.

What are the three types of bulgogi? ›

There are three types of bulgogi that are typically served at restaurants today – Gwangyang-style of South Jeolla Province, Eonyang-style of South Gyeongsang Province and last but not least, the Seoul-style.

What is bibimbap in English? ›

The word bibimbap means stirred or mixed rice. It is served as a bowl of rice with more ingredients on it. These ingredients can include some vegetables (spinach, herbs, potherb, and gosari). Beef or seafood can be added too.

What does bulgogi consist of? ›

Bulgogi generally refers to thinly sliced beef marinated in a sauce that is a mix of soy sauce, sugar or honey, sesame oil, garlic, onion, and often pureed Asian pear. Many Korean home cooks tend to marinate the beef overnight and then grill or stir-fry it with sliced onions, scallions, mushrooms, and other vegetables.

What is the main difference between bulgogi and galbi? ›

Galbi meat comes from the short rib and is presented with the bone on (more on this in a minute). Bulgogi is a lean, tender cut of steak which might come from the rib eye just above the short rib, or maybe a fillet, sirloin or flank steak.

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