Korean Fried Cauliflower Rice – paleo, grain free, AIP options)
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If you love bibimbap but are short on time, you will love this dish. It’s a Korean Fried Cauliflower Rice / aka a Paleo Bibimbap lookalike that is actually a “Busy Person’s Bibimbap” dish for busy people who love traditional bibimbap, but don’t have time for chopping a bunch of veggies.
No matter what you call it, it’s so delicious and super simple–you will for sure want to add it to your recipe rotation!
This summer, while visiting back home, I reconnected with a dear friend.
Her husband is Korean and when he made us bibimbap, our family had a new favourite food.
Bibimbap means ‘mixed rice’ and is one of those dishes that has much room for variation.
So I sought out to make something that tasted just like it but wasn’t as fussy.
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Korean Cauliflower Rice–or Something Else?
Yes, I’m not sure what to call this dish, but it’s amazingly delicious.
I shouldn’t really title this bibimbap though- any Korean person would look at this and declare
“THAT is not bibimbap.”
– There is no guchujung, red chili paste; the bought paste is full of not-real ingredients and the fermented homemade version requires more dedication than I have.
– The vegetables should be julienned; I have neither a julienne tool, nor extra time to cut vegetables so finely so I grated them.
– Sesame seed oil is not really available where I live, so I used sesame seeds. You could of course use sesame oil instead if you like.
I wanted people to be able to make this without having to run to a specialty store. Technically this is bibimbap inspired but that makes for a rather unwieldy title. Maybe I should call it “bimbimbap-ish”.
Traditionally bibimbap is made with short grain rice but I’ve also made it with cauliflower to make it grain-free.
Truth be told, it’s better with rice. But it’s also very good with cauliflower ‘rice’, and that’s what I used for the photos.
Recipe Notes
- Vegetable Options: Besides the vegetables listed in the recipe, I’ve also used chopped lettuce, radish, and bean sprouts.
- Meat Alternatives: The meat can be substituted with a fried egg or two per person for a vegetarian version. Any ground meat will work, I used beef but pork or even chicken will fit.
- Soy Alternative: If you need to be soy free, feel free to substitute coconut aminos + salt for the tamari. The best fat to use is butter, for that nutty flavour, however if you can’t eat dairy, olive oil or baking coconut oil will do.
Special Diet Options
AIP: Omit the sesame seeds and the hot red pepper sauce. Use olive or coconut oil for the fat. Also, substitute organic coconut aminos and additional salt for the tamari.
More Easy Dinner Recipes
– Gluten-free Chili Mac – so easy and soo good! Dairy-free option too!
– Ground Beef Curry – our family’s favorite meal ever.
– Homemade Hamburger Helper – better than the boxed stuff!
– Egg Roll in a Bowl – a guaranteed favorite
Korean Fried Cauliflower Rice (paleo, grain free, AIP options)
Ingredients
- 1/2 large cucumber
- 1/2 small zucchini
- 1 large carrot
- 3.5 ounces crinkly cabbage
- 10 ounces ground beef
- 16 ounces cauliflower (or 3 cups cauliflower rice or cooked short grain rice)
- 1/3 cup sesame seeds (omit for AIP)
- 1/3 cup butter (or either olive or coconut oil)
- 3 tablespoons tamari
- hot red pepper sauce (omit for AIP)
- fat (for sauteing)
- 2 eggs, scrambled (optional)
Instructions
- Grate vegetables into a large bowl.
- In a little fat, brown the ground meat in a frying pan over medium high heat and add to bowl.
- If using eggs, scramble in a pan with a little coconut oil or butter.
- Process the cauliflower through a food processor until rice sized. Add a little fat into the frying pan and add cauliflower and a bit of water and saute.The cauliflower should be cooked and soft but still with some bite, not mush. (Omit this step if using rice.)
- Add cauliflower (or rice) to large bowl.
- Pour sesame seeds onto a clean dry pan and shake to distribute the seeds. Heat at medium heat, occasionally shaking to prevent burning. When the seeds are brown and fragrant, add to the large bowl.
- Pour oil or let butter melt on top of the hot ingredients. Pour over tamari and mix well.
- Serve and add hot sauce to individual bowls. Enjoy!
Notes
- Vegetable Options: Besides the vegetables listed in the recipe, I’ve also used chopped lettuce, radish, and bean sprouts.
- Meat Alternatives: The meat can be substituted with a fried egg or two per person for a vegetarian version. Any ground meat will work, I used beef but pork or even chicken will fit.
- Soy Alternative: If you need to be soy free, feel free to substitute coconut aminos + salt for the tamari. The best fat to use is butter, for that nutty flavour, however if you can’t eat dairy, olive oil or baking coconut oil will do.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is merely an approximation. Optional ingredients are not included and when there is an alternative, the primary ingredient is typically used. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts since they have been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Have you heard of or eaten bibimbap before?
Naomi is originally from Canada but is now a wife and mom in Slovakia. She tries to live each day as a follower of Christ in the chaos of caring for children. Using real food and creating an environmentally friendly surrounding for her family is a priority. She dreams of a little farm while living in an apartment, enjoys handmade creations, and still doesn’t like brussels sprouts. Naomi shares her food creations and photos of Slovakia at Almost Bananas. She looks forward to connecting with you on Pinterest,and Facebook.
I often add ish to the end of a food name to denote that it’s not really what it is…like my Pad Thai-ish which is made with Coke zero, crunchy peanut butter, and shirataki noodles.
Love this idea. Going in to name this “bibimbapish” :).
I am always ordering BimBop at restaurants. I love doing it with cauliflower plus it has a great flavor .
:). I’ve never had it at a restaurant. Yum!
I would probably re-title this “bokkeumbap” because that’s what Korean fried rice is called, and it looks like that’s what this is. Except, you know, cauliflower instead of rice.. “Bap” means rice. And “bokkeum” means fried. As you said, bibimbap is mixed rice. I know it sounds like a small distinction but these are two very different (but equally delicious) dishes. I was actually on google hunting for a low carb way to eat bibimbap since the the red pepper paste is so high in sugar when I stumbled across your blog. In any case, it looks delicious and I’m glad I stumbled across your blog!
How interesting – thanks!!! I have personally never had the red pepper paste. Welcome and hope to see you around again!
One difference, I think, is that none of the vegetables are fried, they are all raw like in bibimbap. At least, my Korean friend said that this was an approximation to bibimbap.
Yum! This looks so awesome that I just put it in my family’s menu plan for next week!
Thank you!
You’re right in your description. This is not even close to being anything like bibimbab!! I lived in Korea for many years, and my husband is Korean – and I wouldn’t call this bibimbab when I cook it for him, he would be like, “what on Earth are you talking about!?” haha It is definitely a fried rice – and there is actually nothing ‘fried’ about bibimbab. It’s actually – traditionally – loads of fresh veggies and rice (and like you said, with gochujang and sesame oil, all “mixed” up!) …
If it were to be more like bibimbab, the veggies would all be fresh, topped on the rice, and then mixed up!!
That aside – it looks delicious and I’ve been dying to try cauliflower “rice.” Thanks for the inspiration I need to make cauliflower rice this week!!
The veggies are fresh, only the cauliflower is sauteed to substitute for the rice. Some recipes for cauliflower ‘rice’ call for steaming, but I found that it made it more mushy.
I hope you enjoy the western-style-grain-free-bibimbap-substitute!
How do you think this would come out without the sesame? I have a daughter who is highly allergic. I suppose I could toast the seeds separately and just add them to the rest of our plates….
It wouldn’t be the same without sesame but it would still be good. If she can have butter or ghee, that would be give some nuttiness, and you can sprinkle toasted sesame on individual plates. I wonder if a nut oil would work? Even olive oil and no nuts or sesame it would still be tasty. Let me know what you try!
Found your site through Fat Tuesday. Just signed up for your blog and shared on Facebook. Have never heard of Bibimbap before, but it’s going to be our dinner tonight. Love trying new things.
Welcome!!!
I love new recipes that use known ingredients in a new way. I love trying new things too!
This looks amazing! I have been wanting to try cauliflower rice and this looks like something the whole family would enjoy. Putting this one on the menu.
This appeals to everyone in our family, I hope to yours too! It’s a great introduction to cauliflower rice.
Mmm…looks delicious! I’ve got some cauliflower rice in the freezer to use up! Thanks for sharing!
Perfect! I’m so glad to share with others who will enjoy it!
Never heard of Bibimbap before but it looks so yummy I am going to try some! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
I hope you enjoy it!
I LOVE bibimbap! When we lived in Japan we would frequent our favorite Korean spot for some delish fried rice. I’m excited to try this out.
I never had it even when I was in Japan. I lived in a pretty remote area so I don’t even recall a Korean spot there. I can’t wait either!
Even though my dad is Japanese, bibimbap was new to me this summer. I hope you enjoy it!
How fun – your dad is Japanese. Did you know I lived there? Does he speak Japanese?
Yes, I remember you lived there. It was on my to-do list but life happened and I never did. He immigrated to Canada in his 20s, so all his family is back over there. A major regret of mine is that I don’t speak Japanese, and it has made it so important to me that my own kids are bilingual. We did eat what Japanese food we could, though, living far from the ocean!
I love the language. No time to practice these days but the words are still in there :).
Looks and sounds great!
Thanks, I hope you enjoy it!