The Nerve Weekend Dish: Rebecca Ghim’s bibimbap bowl

The first Weekend Dish of 2026 is from We Cook Plants, a book born out of Made in Hackney, the long-running east London community cookery school which aims to encourage healthy lifestyles. As Sarah Bentley, the founder of this project, says: “I may have got the party started, but it’s the amazing people – chefs, volunteers, team and community members – who believed in a kinder, more equitable, and joyful way of living, eating and being together, that made MIH what it is today.” 

We Cook Plants features over 100 recipes and on the Nerve we singled out this Korean bibimbap bowl as an antidote to all those past days (or even weeks) of indulgent eating. 

“Bibim means to mix and bap means rice,” says Rebecca Ghim, who has taught at the cookery school and is the founder of the Ferm, a vegan zero-waste fermentation company. She explains this healthy vegan recipe “was born out of laziness, to take all the banchan – side dishes – and eat them all at once, to get rid of all the small bowls and plates”. 

Ghim, who was born in Gwangju in South Korea - a town known for its kimchi - now teaches Korean cooking and fermentation in the UK. She says: “When my mom didn’t feel like cooking, she’d chuck all the banchan into a big bowl with sesame oil and gochujang and mix it. It was such a nice meal because the family would gather around one big bowl and eat in close proximity, so I always thought it was fun.”

Words by Jane Ferguson

It’s a lot of work to prepare the veg separately, so you can skip all the blanching and saute-ing by steaming everything together in a steamer basket. This vegan bibimbap recipe is vibrant and customisable, allowing you to enjoy the rich flavours and textures of the natural vegetables.

Serves 4

1. Put the rice on to cook.

2. Prepare the vegetables: cut the carrots and courgettes into matchsticks; finely slice the mushrooms; and shred the spinach (if using whole leaves). Finely dice the garlic for the sauce and set aside.

3. Using a large stainless steel steamer basket, add the carrots and steam them for 5 mins.

4. Add all the remaining vegetables – courgettes, mushrooms, spinach and bean sprouts – and steam together for another 5 mins, then turn off.

5. While the veg is steaming, press the water out of the tofu and cut into 1.5cm cubes or thin 1.5cm slices – your preference. Sprinkle the salt over the tofu cubes/slices.

6. Saute the tofu in a frying pan with the oil on a medium heat until golden brown on both sides, about 5 mins. Pour the soy sauce over the tofu, add the black pepper and fry for an additional 3 mins. Set aside.

7. In a small bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients and stir until well mixed, adding enough water to your preferred thickness.

8. Pour into 4 small ramekins so everyone has their own portion of sauce.

1. Place a serving of cooked rice into each person’s bowl.

2. If presenting for a dinner party or you want to do it restaurant-style, arrange the prepared vegetables (carrots, courgettes, mushrooms, spinach, bean sprouts and kimchi) neatly around the edges of the rice and add the tofu in the middle. (Most Koreans don’t arrange it when cooking at home.)

3. Drizzle with the sesame oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds to garnish.

4. Serve with the gochujang sauce on the side.

1. Add the desired amount of gochujang sauce to the bowl.

2. Mix everything together thoroughly (hence people not arranging it when cooking at home). Enjoy your delicious, colourful and nutritious vegan bibimbap!

We Cook Plants by Sarah Bentley & Made in Hackney is published by Nourish Books (£30)