Today, let’s make a healthy Korean diet dish that will help you lose weight while maintaining good health: Salmon Pot Rice! Packed with protein from salmon and fiber from mushrooms, it’s a perfectly healthy Korean dish. Want to diet with me?
Oh, and the soy sauce seasoning we’ll be mixing with the rice today is my mom’s secret recipe. It’s a versatile condiment that works great with other rice bowls or bibimbap dishes! The salty yet nutty flavor of sesame oil is unbeatable. You’re missing out if you don’t learn it today!
Healthy Diet Korean Food
After I moved from Korea to Belgium, I gained more than 5 kg in the first year. I think the main reason is my eating habits. There are a lot of fried foods in Belgium. Belgian fries are crispy and so delicious, and I can’t resist Belgian beer! Also, Belgian chocolate and waffles are so delicious! That’s how I ended up gaining weight.
Korean food is healthy in general! When I was in Korea last year, I didn’t intentionally try to eat healthy, but I naturally lost weight. I ate rice as a main dish, and side dishes were mostly vegetables, so I always got plenty of fiber. I also got a variety of nutrients from meat dishes and broths containing meat or seafood.
Today I looked at my body in the mirror and wanted to get back to a healthy body. So I went to the gym and decided to give my body the gift of delicious and healthy food. How about giving your body the gift of healthy food?
Why Salmon Pot Rice is Good for Your Diet?
- High-Protein Salmon: Salmon is high in protein, which helps prevent muscle loss that can occur during dieting.
- Omega-3: Salmon is packed with healthy omega-3 fats. Omega-3s help inhibit fat production and aid in fat breakdown.
- Fiber-Rich Mushroom Rice: Shiitake mushrooms are high in fiber, which increases satiety and aids digestion.
- Unprocessed Carbohydrates: Made with rice instead of processed carbohydrates like bread, it’s healthier.
- Low Carbohydrate Amount: Since the salmon steak and mushrooms are already satiating, reducing the amount of carbohydrates (rice) makes it even more effective for weight loss.
- Incredibly delicious taste: Eating tasteless chicken breast salad can make you give up dieting quickly. With pot rice, you can enjoy delicious food while maintaining a healthy diet.
Sot Bap (솥밥)
Clay Pot Rice
There are many clay pot rice recipes in Korea. Typically, rice is placed in the pot and various ingredients are added on top, then mixed together like bibimbap, making it a modern version of bibimbap. In Korea, this is called “sot bap,” and it’s a popular home-cooked meal for Koreans these days. It’s a convenient and easy recipe because you can combine the rice and ingredients into one dish. By adding various vegetables, fish, or meat, it becomes a protein-rich meal that is also healthy with the rice.
Now let’s explore different sot bap recipes. You can use today’s soy sauce seasoning and mushroom rice exactly as shown, just change the toppings.
Korean Pot Rice (Sot Bap) Menu
- Salmon Pot Rice: This is the dish we’re going to make today. One of the most popular pot rice dishes among young Koreans and a trendy menu item. Made with salmon, it’s rich in omega-3 and protein, and with a seafood and vegetable base, it’s a clean and healthy pot rice that’s not too heavy.
- Steak Pot Rice: This dish is made by grilling a steak to medium-rare, then topping the rice with soy sauce seasoning, an egg, and green onions. If you use today’s mushroom rice and soy sauce seasoning and just add the steak, you have steak pot rice. This is also a popular menu item in Korea, and it’s often sold in restaurants.
- Abalone pot rice: Abalone pot rice features chewy abalone and its innards mixed with the rice, creating a savory and ocean-scented pot rice explosion.
- Eggplant Pot Rice (vegan): This is a pot rice that vegans will love. After grilling eggplant, use Today’s mushroom rice and soy sauce seasoning to create a healthy and delicious vegan pot rice.
All-purpose Soy Sauce Seasoning for Bibimbap
The soy sauce seasoning I’m sharing with you today is my mother’s secret recipe. It has a perfect balance of salty and nutty flavors, with the distinct aroma of sesame oil. This versatile soy sauce seasoning is delicious on its own with rice, and it’s also a great substitute for gochujang in bibimbap! It’s a great option for people who can’t handle spices, right? Plus, it’s a condiment you can use to make other rice dishes in a pot. Be sure to screenshot the recipe – don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Side Dishes That Go Well with Salmon Pot Rice
First, of course, is kimchi. Since salmon can be high in fat, kimchi helps balance the oily flavor.
Second, try wrapping the salmon rice in seaweed (gim). The salty umami flavor of the seaweed, combined with the crisp texture and softness of the salmon rice, creates a new culinary experience. It is a combination that Koreans really love.
Advantages of Pot Rice
- When rice is cooked in a stone or clay pot, it retains a fluffy texture.
- The bottom forms a savory crust (nurungji) that adds a crunchy texture and rich flavor.
- The stone pot keeps the rice warm throughout the meal.
Since it’s a bit difficult to find a stone pot here in Belgium, I used a ttukbaegi (Korean clay pot) instead, and instead of cooking the rice in the pot, I used a rice cooker for convenience.
Below is a recipe for stone pot bibimbap and kimchi jjigae using a ttukbaegi.
Ingredients for Salmon Pot Rice
Dolsot(stone pot)
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Ddukbaegi(clay pot)
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Seafood Broth
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Gim(Korean seaweed)
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Rice
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Soy Sauce
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Plum Syrup
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Sesame seeds
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Sesame oil
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Mirin
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Salmon Pot Rice (Korean Healthy Diet)
Equipment
- 1 Rice cooker
- 1 rice paddle
- 1 stone pot (dolsot or ddukbaegi)
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Knife & cutting board
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Frying pan
Ingredients
Mushroom Rice
- 2 bowls rice
- 1/3 bowl water
- 30 g shiitake mushrooms
- 1 tbsp soy sauce (Korean jin ganjang)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 seafood broth coin
Soy Sauce Seasoning for RIce (my mom's secret)
- 4 tbsp soy sauce (Korean jin ganjang)
- 2 tbsp cooking wine (mirin)
- 2 tbsp plum syrup (can be replaced with sugar but less)
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 5 g green onion
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
Salmon Steak
- 2 pinches salt
- 3 twists black pepper
- 2 tbsp soju (or cooking wine)
- 10 g butter
Soy Sauce for Salmon
- 2 tbsp cooking wine (mirin)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce (Korean jin ganjang)
- 1 tbsp plum syrup (can be replaced with sugar or corn syrup but use less than plum syrup)
Toppings
- 1 stalk green onion
Other Ingredients
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
Instructions
Mushroom Rice
- Rinse the rice thoroughly in a rice cooker.
- Place the sliced shiitake mushrooms on top of the washed rice.
- Add water.
- Pour in 1 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp olive oil.
- Add 1 seafood broth coin (optional).
- Cook the rice in the rice cooker.
Salmon Steak
- Drizzle soju or cooking wine over the salmon fillet.
- Season with salt and black pepper.
- Heat a pan with cooking oil and place the salmon fillet on the hot pan.
- Sear the salmon on all sides, flipping to ensure even cooking.
Soy Sauce Glaze for Salmon
- Combine 2 tbsp cooking wine (mirin), 2 tbsp soy sauce, and 1 tbsp plum syrup (or substitute with sugar or corn syrup).
- Lower the heat to very low and pour in the sauce.
- Simmer until the sauce thickens, then drizzle it over the salmon.
- Add 10g butter and baste the salmon for extra flavor.
Salmon Stone Pot Rice
- Heat a stone pot (dolsot) over the stove. (I used an earthenware pot as a substitute.)
- Once heated, spread 1 tbsp sesame oil evenly on the bottom of the pot.
- Reduce the heat to low and transfer the cooked mushroom rice into the pot.
- Slice green onion into 0.5cm pieces and sprinkle on top of the rice.
- Place the salmon steak on top.
- Cover the pot with a lid and let it steam for 5–10 minutes.(Steaming enhances the moisture in the ingredients while creating a crispy, nutty scorched rice layer at the bottom.)
- Soy Sauce Seasoning for Rice
- Mix 4 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp cooking wine, 2 tbsp plum syrup (if using sugar, reduce the amount), and 1 tbsp sesame oil.
- Add 5g green onion and 1 tsp sesame seeds, then mix well.
Final Touch
- Drizzle 4 tbsp of the soy sauce seasoning over the salmon.
- Cut the salmon into large chunks and mix everything together, like bibimbap.
Healthy Korean Cuisine: Salmon Pot RIce
- Jal meokgetseumnida! 잘 먹겠습니다!
- Korean Tip: Wrap a bite of rice in seaweed for an extra burst of umami—it's like a whole new dish!
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @blondekimchi_ on Instagram and hashtag it #blondekimchi.