Korean Beef Bowl

Where This Goes Wrong

Brown the beef in a hot pan.

Break it up as it cooks.

If your pan runs hot, lower the heat after adding the sauce.

Add a fried egg.

How to Make Korean Beef Bowl

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1. Rinse the rice, then simmer it in 500 ml water, covered, for 12 minutes. Leave covered off the heat.

   Mark done Start 12 min timer

2. Heat a large pan over high heat. Brown the beef for 6 minutes, breaking it up, until no pink remains.

   Mark done Start 6 min timer

3. Add the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds, then the soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and gochujang. Simmer for 2 minutes until the sauce clings.

   Mark done Start 30 sec timer

4. Serve over the rice with the cucumber, spring onions and sesame seeds.

   Mark done

Related guide: Choosing rice.

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What's Going On Here

It is a weeknight dish built on a short list of cupboard sauces: soy, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic and gochujang. The name comes from the style of seasoning, which is sweet, salty and a little hot.

Start the rice first, so that it is ready when the beef is. Rinse it until the water runs clear, then simmer it in 500 ml of water, covered, for 12 minutes. Brown the beef in a very hot pan, and break it up as it cooks. If the pan is crowded or cool, the meat steams and turns grey instead of browning.

Cook for about 6 minutes, until no pink is left and the edges have crisped. Add the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds, then pour in the sauce: soy, sugar, sesame oil and gochujang. Simmer for 2 minutes until it clings to the meat.

Serve over the rice with cucumber slices, spring onions and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. A fried egg on top makes it a meal. If your pan runs hot, lower the heat once the sauce goes in.

Leftovers, Reheating and Keeping

Keeps in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat until steaming hot.

Changing the Recipe

• Out of spring onions? A small regular onion, finely sliced, or a few chives stirred in at the end both cover the job.
• If you only have ground ginger, a quarter-teaspoon for each tablespoon of fresh is the ratio usually given; it tastes warmer and less bright than the fresh root.
• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

Good With

• Kimchi
• Fried egg
• Steamed greens
• Cold barley tea

Korean Beef Bowl Nutrition

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.

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