Korean Rice Bowl with Sashimi. This is the only name I could come up with that would describe this fabulous dish in a self-explanatory way. I know ‘Sashimi’ is not a Korean word, but very few people would know what ‘Hoe/Hwe’ means; which is the same thing – raw fish.
Hoedeopbap (회덮밥) is the Korean name but oh boy.. how can anyone even remember that spelling??
I certainly can’t!! Can you??
It took me couple searches on google to find the right(?) spelling for this Korean Rice Bowl dish with raw fish. I sometimes wish Korean words were much easier to spell in English. As I started to write this post, I actually started out with HweDeopBap and then realized that may not be the correct spelling. I have even seen it spelled HweDupBap.
But as of today, Sept. 21st 2016, Hoedeopbap is the correct spelling. But you never know.. the Korean government may decide to change the spelling again couple years from now. So..trying to use the right spelling for Korean food names is not easy and it really frustrates me sometimes. I’m sure you are even more frustrated than me… Anything beyond Bulgogi and Kimchi, I think everyone has different ways of spelling Korean words, including people in the Korean government. Sometimes, I wish I was not a Korean food blogger..haha.. then I would not have to deal with all these complicated spellings of Korean dishes!
OK, a quick Korean lesson: Hoe (회) = raw, Deopbap (덮밥) = over rice. (Click for Hoedeopbap pronunciation)
Perhaps another way to describe this type of Korean Rice Bowl with Sashimi is Sashimi Bibimbap. And in many ways, I would say this dish is similar to bibimbap. Both start with rice and then veggies on top and then you mix it altogether with gochujang sauce. But the gochujang sauce is different. We use plain gochujang with sesame oil for bibimbap whereas a sweet sour Gochujang sauce is used for Hoedeopbap. Not sure if that’s the reason or if Koreans don’t call it bibimbap because this Korean Rice Bowl with Sashimi has its roots in Japanese cuisine? Since Hoedeopbap is always served in Korean Japanese restaurants.
Now enough about names. So, if you have been reading my posts, you know that I don’t like raw fish or sashimi. But if there’s one dish where I tolerate raw fish, it is in Hoedeopbap. It’s because I just LOVE all the other stuff about it and raw fish comes in small cubes which is lot more palatable in my view. Tons of fresh greens like lettuce and perilla, crunchy veggies like cucumbers and peppers and the sweet tangy spicy gochujang sauce just makes it absolutely scrumptious. Often times, when we go to a Korean Japanese restaurant, I order Hoedeobap. And then when the Korean rice bowl with raw fish and veggies arrives, I always pick out most of the sashimi pieces from the bowl and I give it all to my husband. 😜 😝 😘
So, one day he complained to me:
Husband: “Why do you order this expensive Hoedeopbap, if you are NOT going to eat the Hoe (sashimi)?? I don’t see the point in this…”
Me: “Oh, but I LOVE all the other stuff in Hoedeopbap so much!!”
Husband: Silence…and just shakes his head.
HAHAHA..
Bless you, my husband for putting up with all my weirdness. 😍
Now, when I make it at home, I usually make two kinds of Korean rice bowls: Hoedeopbap and Bulgogi Deopbap. This way, I can have a beautiful Korean rice bowl with Bulgogi – with all the fresh vegetables much like Hoedeopbap – but without the raw fish!!! Yay!!!!
I will post the recipe for Bulgogi Rice Bowl soon!
Now, let’s get started!
Korean Rice Bowl with Sashimi (Hoedeopbap)
Servings: 4 Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time for Rice: 20 minutes Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
- 4 cup cooked rice (1 cup per serving), warm but not too hot
- 2 oz Salmon, cubed – sashimi grade
- 2 oz Tuna, cubed – sashimi grade
- 10 green or red leaf lettuce leaves, cut into strips (2 cup)
- 1 bunch Chrysanthemum leaves (Ssukat), cut into strips (2 cup)
- 12 Perilla leaves, cut into strips (1 cup)
- 4 small Persian cucumbers, julienned (1 1/2 cup)
- 1/3 large purple onion, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced thin
- 2 Korean green chili peppers/Annaheim or Jalapeno peppers
- handful of Daikon Sprouts
- 4~6 Tbs Tobiko eggs (optional but I really like it)
- ChoGochujang Sauce for Hoedeopbap (about 2 Tbs sauce per serving, make extra if you want)
- 4 Tbs gochujang
- 2 Tbs rice vinegar
- 4~5 tsp sugar
- 1 Tbs apple, grated
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp soy sauce (jin ganjang)
- Swirl of Sesame oil
- Cook white rice in rice cooker.
- Cut tuna and salmon into small 1/2 inch cubes. Store in fridge until ready to serve.
Tuna and Salmon sashimi from local Japanese market 
Salmon and Tuna sashimi cubes ready for Korean Rice Bowl (Hoedeopbap) - Rinse vegetables and cut them into thin strips or slices. Cut garlic into thin slices and also peppers.
Korean Rice Bowl (Hoedeopbap) Toppings Beet leaves/greens are not in the ingredient list but I had some in my garden so I added it. You are welcome to try different combinations of greens but I feel Perilla is a must to have a Korean flavor.
- Make ChoGochujang sauce by mixing all ingredients. You can make extra and store leftover in the fridge. FYI, ChoGochujang refers to gochujang sauce that has vinegar (cho 초) added. Here’s my Korean Sauces post if you want more info.
- In a bowl, add rice and top generously with sliced greens. In this 3 cup size bowl, it was about 1 cup rice and 1 1/2 cup veggies. Since perilla and ssukat are stronger in flavor, add those sparingly. Also garlic, peppers, onions and daikon sprouts should be sprinkled on top. Most of it should be lettuce and other mild greens. Add sashimi cubes and top with Tobiko eggs.
Hoedeopbap with Salmon, Tuna, veggies and Gochujang Sauce - When ready to eat, allow each person to add as much ChoGochujang sauce as they like. I recommend at least 2 Tbs of ChoGochujang sauce for each bowl.
- Mix it altogether and you have this wonderful medley of greens, rice, fish and spicy goodness. Notice the rice to vegetables ratio. This is how I like it. More greens than rice. It is much more refreshing this way.
Korean Rice Bowl with Sashimi mixed with Gochujang (Hoedeopbap) Korean Rice Bowl with Tuna Salmon and Gochujang sauce Serving suggestions:
Korean Rice Bowl with Sashimi and Gochujang and Sesame oil Notes
- Substitute other kinds of fresh seafood that you can eat sashimi style. Raw squid and abalone are some great alternatives.
- This is also a great easy party menu since you don’t have to cook anything, just prepare in advance and even allow the guests to assemble their own rice bowl. Just have some simple light soup like Miyeokguk, Konganmul Guk, or Bugeo Guk.
- Serve Kimchi as side dish and if you want to do more, make some Haemul Pajeon.
Korean Rice Bowl with Sashimi - Hoedeopbap
Ingredients
- 4 cup cooked white rice (1 cup per serving), warm but not too hot
- 2 oz Salmon , cubed – sashimi grade
- 2 oz Tuna , cubed – sashimi grade
- 10 green or red leaf lettuce leaves , cut into strips (2 cup)
- 1 bunch Chrysanthemum leaves (Ssukat), cut into strips (2 cup)
- 12 Perilla leaves , cut into strips (1 cup)
- 4 small Persian cucumbers , julienned (1 1/2 cup)
- 1/3 large purple onion , sliced
- 4 garlic cloves , sliced thin
- 2 Korean green chili peppers/Annaheim or Jalapeno peppers
- handful of Daikon Sprouts
- 4 Tobiko eggs (optional but I really like it)
- Swirl of Sesame oil
ChoGochujang Sauce for Hoedeopbap (about 2 Tbs sauce per serving, make extra if you want)
Instructions
- Cook white rice to produce 4 cups.
- Cut tuna and salmon into small 1/2 inch cubes. Store in fridge until ready to serve.
- Rinse all vegetables and cut them into thin strips or slices.
- Make ChoGochujang sauce by mixing all ingredients. You can make extra and store leftover in the fridge. FYI, ChoGochujang refers to gochujang sauce that has vinegar (cho 초) added.
- In a 3 cup size bowl, add 1 cup rice and 1 1/2 cup veggies. Because ssukat, perilla have strong flavors, add them sparingly. Also sprinkle garlic, onions, peppers, daikon sprouts on top. Add sashimi cubes and top with Tobiko eggs.
- When ready to eat, allow each person to add as much ChoGochujang sauce as they like. I recommend at least 2 Tbs of ChoGochujang sauce for each bowl.
- Mix it altogether and you have this wonderful medley of greens, rice, fish and spicy goodness.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Have fun!!
XOXO ❤️
JinJoo
Thank you for such a beautiful recipe! My boyfriend and I will try this tonight 🙂 And thank you for the calorie information, we are both trying to be healthier!
I’m so glad you want to try it!! And glad the calorie information was helpful. Cheers to healthy eating!