Korean Beef Bowls with Sweet-Salty Garlic Ginger Sauce
By Mason Brooks
Prep
10 min
Cook
20 min
Total
30 min
Servings
4
Level
Easy
Dinner is ready in 30 minutes using 10 minutes of preparation time and a skillet. Korean beef bowls contain ground beef, rice, and a garlic-flavored, spicy, sweet, and salty sauce. The dish also includes ginger. Sliced cucumber and carrot are added for a fresh flavor.
Ground beef is cooked with fresh garlic and ginger. These items and others are also used to make the sauce: soy sauce, brown sugar or honey, gochujang or chili garlic sauce, rice vinegar, red pepper flakes, and possibly sesame oil. Ground beef is served with rice and fresh cucumber, carrot, and green onion slices as garnishes.
The sauce in the pan will start to thicken around the meat crumbles after two to three minutes of cooking. Mix and crumble the meat to combine all ingredients and flavors while cooking over medium heat. One key mistake to avoid when making this dish is adding rice vinegar with chili garlic sauce; rice vinegar is not an ingredient in this dish when using chili garlic sauce.
Build bowls with rice and beef, and cucumbers, carrots, and green onions. Other options include kimchi, sesame seeds, a fried egg, and spicy mayonnaise. To make service faster, keep the beef and rice separate and assemble bowls with vegetables at the time of service.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Fits a busy schedule with 10 minutes of prep time and 20 minutes of cook time because ground beef cooks quickly in a skillet with the sauce.
- Commonly available ingredients include ground beef, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger, You don't need to purchase anything specific to prepare dinner.
- Reduces cooking time and cleanup effort by combining meat and spice cooking and sauce in a single pan and requiring little preparation of side dishes and other condiments, such as rice.
- Includes gochujang or chili garlic sauce as well as optional red pepper flakes to allow for customization from mild to spicy flavors in individual servings.
- Offers versatility during assembly, with additional options such as rice, cucumber, carrots, green onions, kimchi, sesame seeds, egg, and spicy mayonnaise available upon request.
- Supports advance preparation, cooked beef and rice can be stored to be used later; cucumbers, carrots, and other toppings can be added when serving.
Ingredients
- •1 lb ground beef (80/20, 85/15, or 93/7%)
- •3 cloves garlic (minced)
- •2 teaspoons fresh ginger (grated)
- •⅓ cup soy sauce
- •3 tablespoons brown sugar (or honey)
- •1 tablespoon gochujang paste (or 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce)
- •1 teaspoon rice vinegar (omit if using chili garlic sauce)
- •¼ teaspoon red chili flakes (1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon)
- •2 teaspoons sesame oil (optional)
- •oil (if desired)
- •cooked rice (for serving)
- •1 Hot House cucumber (sliced)
- •1 carrots (1-2, julienned or shredded)
- •2 green onions (sliced)
- •kimchi (optional)
- •sesame seeds (optional)
- •fried egg (optional)
- •¼ cup mayonnaise (for spicy mayo)
- •2 teaspoons sriracha sauce (for spicy mayo)
Instructions
- 1
Cook the rice.
- 2
Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
- 3
Add oil, if desired.
- 4
Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it up as it browns.
- 5
Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute.
- 6
Stir in the soy sauce, brown sugar, optional sesame oil, gochujang or chili garlic sauce, rice vinegar, and red chili flakes.
- 7
Simmer for 2-3 minutes, until thickened slightly.
- 8
Serve the ground beef over rice.
- 9
Top with green onions, carrots, and sliced cucumbers.
- 10
Add kimchi, sesame seeds, and fried egg, if desired.
- 11
For spicy mayo, stir together the mayonnaise and sriracha sauce.
- 12
Drizzle the spicy mayo over the bowls and sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
453
Protein
23g
Fat
33g
Carbs
16g
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