Kimchi Beef Bulgogi Stone Pot Bibimbap

 This is a very popular modern Korean-Chinese fusion dish commonly found in Chinese hot-pot restaurants, Korean-style barbecue spots, and trendy eateries across China.

 It combines thin-sliced marbled beef , tangy-spicy Chinese-style kimchi , crisp vegetables, a perfectly runny fried egg, and sizzling rice crisped at the bottom of a hot stone bowl — all tossed with a sweet-savory gochujang-based sauce.

Ingredients (serves 1 large portion / 2 smaller portions)Marinated beef

• Thinly sliced beef (fatty beef slices — 200–250 g
• Light soy sauce — 1 tbsp
• Shaoxing wine — 1 tbsp
• Sugar — 1 tsp
• Sesame oil — 1 tsp
• Minced garlic — 1 tsp
• Ground black pepper — pinch

Bibimbap components

• Short-grain rice (sushi rice or Korean rice) — 1–1½ cups cooked (preferably slightly sticky)
• Chinese-style kimchi — 150–200 g (mild or medium spicy, chopped if pieces are large)
• Carrot — ½ small, julienned
• Cucumber — ½ small, julienned (lightly salted & squeezed)
• Bean sprouts — 80–100 g (blanched 30 seconds)
• Shiitake mushrooms — 3–4, thinly sliced (or enoki mushrooms)
• Spinach or baby bok choy — 80 g, blanched and squeezed dry
• Fried egg — 1 (sunny-side up with runny yolk)
• Toasted sesame seeds — 1–2 tsp
• Chopped green onion — 1–2 tbsp

Bibimbap sauce (mix in a small bowl)

• Gochujang (Korean red chili paste) — 1½–2 tbsp
• Light soy sauce — 1 tbsp
• Sugar or honey — 1–1½ tbsp
• Rice vinegar or black vinegar — 1 tbsp
• Sesame oil — 1 tbsp
• Minced garlic — 1 tsp
• Toasted sesame seeds — 1 tsp
• Optional: ½–1 tsp Korean plum extract (매실청) or mirin for extra sweetness

For the stone pot

• Neutral oil — 1–2 tsp (to crisp the rice bottom)

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Marinate the beef (5–10 minutes)
   • Mix beef slices with soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, and black pepper.
   • Let sit while you prepare other ingredients.
2. Prepare the vegetables
   • Quickly blanch bean sprouts (30 seconds), spinach/bok choy (30–60 seconds), and squeeze dry.
   • Julienne carrot and cucumber (lightly salt cucumber 5 minutes, then squeeze out water).
   • Slice shiitake thinly.
3. Cook the beef
   • Heat a wok or frying pan over high heat with 1 tbsp oil.
   • Stir-fry marinated beef slices 1–1½ minutes until just cooked (still tender and juicy — do not overcook).
   • Remove to a plate.
4. Heat the stone pot (dolsot)
   • Place stone bowl on stove over medium-high heat for 3–4 minutes until very hot (sprinkle a drop of water — it should sizzle and evaporate instantly).
   • Brush the bottom with a thin layer of oil.
   • Add cooked rice and press down gently to cover the bottom evenly.
   • Let it sizzle undisturbed 3–5 minutes until the bottom layer turns golden and crispy (this is the best part — nurungji / guo ba).
5. Assemble quickly
   • While rice is crisping, arrange toppings in sections on top of the rice:
     • Place cooked beef in one section
     • Kimchi in another
     • Bean sprouts, spinach, carrot, cucumber, mushrooms in neat piles
   • Make a well in the center → place the freshly fried sunny-side-up egg on top.
   • Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onion.
6. Add sauce & mix
   • Pour the prepared bibimbap sauce (gochujang mixture) over everything.
   • Immediately use chopsticks or a spoon to mix everything together vigorously — scrape up the crispy rice bottom as you mix so it blends with the sauce and toppings.
   • The heat from the stone pot will slightly wilt the vegetables and warm the sauce.
7. Serve
   • Bring the sizzling stone pot directly to the table (place on a heatproof mat/trivet).
   • Eat while hot — the contrast between crispy rice, tender beef, tangy kimchi, and runny yolk is addictive.
   • Optional: add more sauce or sesame oil if desired.

Quick Tips for Best Result

• Stone pot safety → Always use a trivet. The bowl stays extremely hot for 10–15 minutes.
• Crispy rice bottom → Don’t move the rice for the first 3–5 minutes — patience gives perfect nurungji.
• Beef tenderness → Use high-quality thinly sliced fatty beef (肥牛). Don’t overcook — 1–1½ minutes is enough.
• Sauce balance → Taste sauce before pouring — it should be sweet, spicy, tangy, and savory. Adjust sugar/gochujang to your preference.
• Variations →
  • Add cheese on top (melts beautifully in the hot pot — very popular in China).
  • Include enoki mushrooms, zucchini, or bell pepper.
  • For less spicy: reduce gochujang and chili.
• Storage → Best eaten immediately. If leftovers, remove from stone pot — reheat in microwave (crispiness will be lost).

This dish is vibrant, flavorful, and interactive — the sizzling stone pot and mixing moment make it fun and delicious.