Hwe dup bap has many names in the West. The Korean poke bowl. Sashimi bibimbap. Poke bibimbap. Korean chirashi. Korean sushi bowl. You get the idea.
But they all refer to this one very special dish.
It consists of just fresh fish, fresh veggies, rice, and a tart spicy spice that you will crave forever once you’ve tasted it. That’s not hyperbole – I’ve personally witnessed people at the moment it becomes a life-long addiction.
And it’s not surprising. If you love sushi and spice – hwe dup bap is a winner. It’s refreshing. It’s delicious. And it is actually ridiculously simple to make.
What is Hwe Dup Bap?
Love sashimi? Poke bowls? A little bit of spice? Then you’ll want to meet hwe dup bap. So what is this stuff?
- Hwe means sashimi or raw fish in Korean.
- Dup means over.
- Bap is rice.
So essentially, is is raw fish over rice – the Korean way. Which is why it’s so often referred to as a Korean poke bowl. Because unlike, say, chirashi, hwe dup bap usually comes with heaps of fresh veggies loaded on top as well.
And of course, in characteristic Korean fashion, it’s all smothered with a tangy spicy sauce and mixed so you get every flavor in every bite.
It’s like bibimbap and fresh salad had a baby. And it is so very good.
Hwe Dup Bap Ingredients
My favorite thing about hwe dup bap is that it’s a wonderfully versatile dish. There are so many ingredients you can pick and choose from to truly make it your own.
You choose the type of raw fish. You choose what veggies you want.
The only caveat is that hwe dup bap demands all fresh ingredients – except for the rice, of course. It’s a raw dish and that’s what makes it so refreshing.
So what ingredients do you need for hwe dup bap? There are the absolute essentials and then there’s what you can pick and choose…
Essential Ingredients
Rice. Short-grain or medium-grain rice is the way to go for this dish.
Raw fish. It must be sashimi-grade and you can use salmon, tuna, or whitefish. I’ve even used tilapia and that was great too.
Greens. No hwe dup bap is complete without greens. And almost any leafy green works well in hwe dup bap. Almost. The only recommendation is to opt for lighter-flavored, delicate greens rather than the stronger ones. So kale, radicchio, and collard greens are not so great. But all of the below will work:
- Lettuce – red leaf, Romaine, mesclun, butterhead, little gem
- Microgreens – these tiny, subtly-flavored greens are ideal
- Cabbage – sliced very thin
Sesame oil. The drizzling of sesame oil at the end adds a new depth of flavor that is absolutely crucial. It also lends a nice coating that makes the mixing easier.
Chogochujang. This is the tangy, zesty, spicy, sweet sauce that is an absolute essential in hwe dup bap.
Other Ingredients
The above hwe dup bap ingredients form the back bone of any hwe dup bap recipe. And from there, you can customize it any way you like by picking and choosing from the following ingredients:
Carrots: Grated or julienned.
Cucumber: Diced, sliced or julienned.
Apple: I once had a restaurant serve me hwe dup bap topped with fresh apple and now I can’t do without the sweet crisp it adds to the overall dish. Julienned is best.
Avocado: Full disclosure: I’ve never been to a restaurant that’s served hwe dup bap with avocado but it goes well with the dish and I like the added creaminess.
Korean radish: Or daikon. This is a somewhat typical ingredient but I usually skip it as where I live it’s harder to find and I’ve never found it necessary.
Onion: Julienned onions can add a sweet and gentle kick to a hwe dup bap. If using, choose white onions rather than yellow or brown. I personally prefer…
Green onions: Also known as scallions or spring onions, these have the taste of onion without being too overpowering or spicy.
Sprouts: These are not totally necessary but great for both topping off and rounding out a hwe dup bap. Choose pea shoots, buckwheat sprouts, sweet clover sprouts, alfalfa, and radish sprouts (for a kick!)
Perilla or Sesame leaves: Totally optional but adds a lovely flavor.
Toppings
Fish roe. You can use masago (the small, round and orange fish roe that covers California rolls), ikura, or even tobiko if you like. In Korea, hwe dup bap is usually served with a dollop of fish roe on top.
Toasted sesame seeds. Add at the end for that bit of nutty crunch.
Roasted seaweed. Sliced strips of roasted seaweed, nori, seasoned seaweed snacks, or even furikake make a great topping.
How Many Hwe Dup Bap Ingredients Do You Need?
The above is a list of pretty much anything you can put in a sashimi bibimbap. But you don’t need them all. Hwe dup bap tastes so good even when pared down to a handful of ingredients.
And to be honest, that’s usually how I make it. Because I’m based in London and at the end of a long day, I’m not in the mood to trek down to the local Asian supermarket for fresh perilla leaves.
So my quick easy hwe dup bap consists of easy-to-find and what-I-already-have ingredients like:
- Carrots
- Cucumber
- Lettuce
- Avocado
- Apple
And topped off with sesame oil, sesame seeds, and occasionally, seaweed strips.
How to Make Hwe Dup Bap
Hwe dup bap is an impressive dish to serve. It looks like it’d be a lot of work. But looks are deceiving. It actually takes only a couple steps, which usually takes me around 15 to 20 minutes from start to finish.
Ingredients
You can pick and choose from the popular hwe dup bap ingredients above. Here’s what I used, per serving:
- 1 1/2 cup rice, short-grain
- 2/3 cup salmon sashimi, diced
- 1 cup lettuce
- 1/3 cup diced cucumber
- 1/2 avocado
- 1/3 apple
Chogochujang Ingredients
Chogochujang only requires 5 ingredients, most of which you probably have in your kitchen. And it takes less than 5 minutes to make.
To make it, you need:
- Gochujang. This is a must have. It’s not called chogochujang for nothing.
- Vinegar. Apple cider vinegar is my favorite to use but rice vinegar and even malt vinegar work well. Use what you have.
- Sugar. We really want that sweetness for chogochujang so sugar is key.
- Garlic. Minced. Adds a great spicy kick to it all.
- Optional: Lemon juice. For extra zest.
It gets mixed in this ratio: 2 (gochujang) + 2 (vinegar) + 2 (sugar) + 1 (garlic) + 1 (lemon juice). And of course, everyone’s taste is different. So if you like tangy, add a bit more vinegar. Sweet? Bit more sugar. Spicy? More gochujang and garlic.
Pro Tips
Use big bowls. You’ll be adding lots of stuff. And you need room to mix. Use bigger bowls.
Frozen fish is easier. I always buy frozen slabs of sashimi and then defrost – but not completely! While completely frozen fish is hard to slice, slightly frozen fish is so much easier to cut and slice. If you’re using fresh fish, put it in the freezer for an hour or so and it’ll make the cutting so much easier.
Serve with…Miso soup. Hwe dup bap is great alone but a side of simple miso soup really rounds out the meal.
Adjust the rice. If you’re watching your carbs, you’ll be pleased to know that this can be a low-carb meal. With hwe dup bap, the sashimi, veggies, and sauce make the meal. The rice is lovely but to be honest, you can do with less and the overall dish is just as good.
Start with the Rice
Cook the rice. I always do this first since short-grain rice takes around 15 minutes to cook so it’s plenty of time to prep..
Prep
Prepare the veggies while the rice is cooking. Set aside. Next, slice or dice the raw fish into small, bite-sized pieces.
Assemble
Add rice to a large bowl and let it cool. You want the rice to be warm but not hot.
While the rice is cooling, make the sauce by mixing gochujang, vinegar, sugar, garlic, and lemon juice together.
Place the veggies and the raw fish on top of the rice in the bowl.
Finishing Touches
Drizzle sesame oil and chogochujang. Or serve them separately so everyone can use however much they want.
Top with sesame seeds, nori strips, or other toppings.
Mix it up and enjoy!
FAQs
We live in London and researched until we found the supplier for one of our favorite sushi places. They have free delivery for orders over £75 and the quality has been superb.
Other options are:
– Asian markets. Some Asian supermarkets have fresh sashimi on sale. I remember H Mart in Chicago had a nice selection. Katagiri and Okasana in NYC were superb.
– Local fishmonger. Ask for sashimi/sushi-grade fish. Not all will but some do.
– Fish market. If you’re lucky enough to live close to a fish market that’s open to the public, that’s the place to head.
– When in doubt, Google. Type in “sashimi” and choose the “Shopping” tab and see what comes up. The UK has online fishmongers like The Fish Society which deliver frozen sashimi-quality fish.
Yes! We have a small child who loves the chogochujang so much that he will eat several bites of our hwedupbap. But after awhile, he’s tearing up.
So I always make his with a soy-based sauce. It’s gentle, yummy, and goes very well with hwedupbap. It’s an easy recipe, too:
– 1 tsp rice vinegar
– 2 tbsp soy sauce
– 1 tsp sugar or 1 tbsp of mirin
– 1 tbsp sesame oil
– Optional: tiny bit of minced garlic (i.e. 1/2 tsp)
If you have any leftovers – we never do – it’s best to discard it. It is raw fish, after all, and you want to eat it fresh.
But while leftovers can’t be stored, you can plan in advance so you can do all the prep once and eat several times over the next couple days. Here’s what I mean…
Keeping hwe dup bap leftovers are a no no. But if you’re going to go through the effort of slicing, dicing, chopping, and mixing – it makes sense to prep a big enough batch for you to eat for the next few days.
Feel free to prepare more than enough veggies. You can keep lettuce, cucumber, carrots, and so on in the fridge for several days so that’s easy enough.
You can also set aside the sliced or diced raw fish in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 to 3 days.
As for the chogochujang – this stuff keeps in the fridge for at least a week, if not longer (it doesn’t last past that for us because we eat it). I like to make a giant batch in advance and store in an airtight jar for later. That’s why I provided ratios rather than tablespoon and teaspoon measurements above – if you want enough for a couple days, prepare accordingly.
Here’s one huge reason why I love making hwe dup bap at home: It’s not only easy, it’s affordable, too. We get our salmon sashimi from Freshest Fish by Atariya Foods and 1KG of salmon sashimi currently costs £19.99.
It may not be the cheapest, but it equals around 2 to 3 meals for our family of three. Which makes it amazing value, especially for what you get.
The rest of the hwe dup bap ingredients – lettuce (£1.15), cucumber (£0.85), avocado (2 for £1.65), and gochujang (£2.20) – bring the total price for one meal to roughly £9. That’s around £3 per serving. Not bad at all, especially compared to what you’d pay at a restaurant.
Hwe Dup Bap
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup cooked rice short-grain
- ⅔ cup salmon sashimi diced
- 1 cup lettuce sliced thinly
- ⅓ cup cucumber diced
- ½ avocado diced
- ⅓ apple julienne or sliced
Chogochujang Sauce
- 2 tbsp gochujang
- 2 tbsp vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Cook the rice first, if you're not using leftover rice. Short-grain rice takes around 15 minutes to cook so it’s plenty of time to prep..
- Slice and dice the veggies you'll be using. You can slice, cube, or julienne. The only rule is they should be bite-sized. Set aside.
- Cut the sashimi into small, bite-sized pieces.
- Put rice in a big bowl to cool it down. It's best warm, not hot.
- Make chogochujang sauce by mixing 2 parts gochujang, 2 parts vinegar, 2 parts sugar, 1 part garlic, and 1 part lemon juice together.
- Place the veggies and the sashimi on top of the rice in the bowl.
- Drizzle in sesame oil and chogochujang. Top with sesame seeds, nori strips, or other toppings.
- Enjoy!