Are you craving something other than a Bird? Something high in flavor, yet extremely low in effort. How about something that cooks in 15 minutes, doesn’t have a long ingredient list, and is absolutely delicious?
Look no further! Try my easy, not too sweet and not too spicy, Korean Ground Beef Bowl with all of those Korean BBQ flavors you love… start to finish in 20 minutes. Here we go!!
Thanksgiving and Christmas are past us folks. If you are like me, you’re ready to put the Turkey and all those heavy dishes that comes along it in the rear view mirror until next year. All I want now is easy, fast and tasty. My plan is to spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying the amazing weather down south here in Florida. So get ready for some easy recipes!
If you are looking for something other than chicken… yeah chicken reminds me of turkey when I look at it… this Korean ground beef bowl is the answer. You are going to love this combination of flavors. I am serving up my ground beef in a rice bowl, but it goes great in lettuce wraps if you are looking for something on the lighter side.
What is a Korean Ground Beef Bowl?
Traditionally, there is no such dish as a Korean ground beef bowl. The flavors for this dish are based on their famous dish, Bulgogi Beef, which is known for its sweet, savory and spicy Korean BBQ sauce. Bulgogi is thinly sliced tender cuts of beef like sirloin or filet mignon that are marinated for hours and then stir fried.
But since we are using your regular ground beef that you can find any time in your refrigerator, the cooking time is much faster and can stretch your dollars longer. Yet you still end up with an incredible meal… Win win if you ask me! Btw, I do have a Ground Beef Bulgogi recipe also, which is kinda similar to this one.
All you need to do is brown some ground beef along with ginger, garlic and some green onions and stir in the sauce. Super Duper Easy!!
Ingredients Needed
All those sweet, yet savory, yet a little spicy flavors come in to play with just a few following things usually available in your pantry…
- Soy sauce – It’s called Korean, so you are looking at Asian flavor. This dark brown sauce is your answer… 🙂
- Brown sugar – This Beef has touch of sweetness to it to balance the saltiness of soy and the spiciness of red chili flakes.
- Red chili flakes – You can adjust the spice level by adding more or less.
- Garlic – No escape from this if it’s an Asian bowl.
- Ginger – Yes, if you are looking for authentic flavors you gotta keep this in your fridge.
- Green Onions – Great to finish off your dish.
- Sesame oil and sesame seeds – For that distinctive nutty sesame flavor to Asian dishes.
- Cilantro – I love it, but it’s optional.
- Ground beef – Well, of course.
Korean Ground Beef Bowl Recipe
I start by whisking together some soy sauce, brown sugar, red chili flakes, and sesame oil.
I heat up a large skillet or wok, then I add the ground beef, breaking it into crumbles as it cooks. It usually takes about 3-5 minutes until it’s no longer pink. If there’s any excess fat, I get rid of it. Then, I stir in some chopped ginger, garlic, and half of the green onion, sautéing everything for a couple of minutes
Once the beef and aromatics are cooked up, I pour in the sauce mixture and give everything a good mix to coat it all evenly. Then, I let it simmer for another 5 minutes or so, allowing the sauce to reduce a bit and intensify those delicious flavors.
Before serving, I always give it a taste and adjust the seasoning to my liking, adding a bit more salt or chili pepper if needed.
Finally I stir in rest of green onion stems and garnish with sesame seeds.
Alpana’s Tips
Prep ahead: I like to chop my ginger, garlic, and green onions in advance. It saves time and makes the cooking process smoother.
Hot pan, quick cook: I always make sure my pan is nice and hot before adding the beef. It helps to get that perfect sear and locks in all the flavors.
Get creative: I’m never afraid to throw in some extra veggies or use other protein to mix things up and add more nutrition to my dish. Bell peppers, broccoli, or mushrooms are some of my favorite choices. You can make the same dish by swapping ground beef with ground pork or ground chicken.
Play with the sauce: When I’m making the sauce, I like to play around with it. I change things up to make it spicy, sweet, or tangy, depending on what I feel any particular day.
Ahh… back to eating simple and living simple… Happy New Year, guys!!! Be sure to check our other cracking Asian Recipes and Ground Beef Recipes on GypsyPlate, and come back again for all the new flavors coming to you.
Korean Ground Beef Bowl, on my Gypsy Plate… Enjoy!
Try these other easy and tasty Asian inspired recipes
Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce
Thai Basil Chicken
Mongolian Beef
Chicken Ramen Stir Fry
Teriyaki Beef Bowl
Kung Pao Chicken
Hunan Shrimp
Mayak Eggs
Korean Ground Pork Soup
Korean Ground Beef Bowl
My Korean Ground Beef Bowl has just the right combination of sweet, salty, umami and just a touch of spicy. Try it when you crave some Asian flavors, or just need something super quick!
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds ground beef
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 3 chopped green onions
- 2 Tbsp chopped garlic
- 1.5 Tbsp chopped ginger
- 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
- ½ to 1 tsp red chili flakes
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
Instructions
- Chop ginger, garlic, onions and cilantro.
- Whisk soy sauce, brown sugar, red chili flakes and sesame oil in a bowl, set aside.
- In large skillet or wok, sauté ground beef until no longer pink, 3-5 minutes. Stir in garlic, ginger and half of green onions. Cook 2 minutes.
- Stir in sauce mixture, simmer 5 minutes, until sauce is slightly reduced.
- Stir in remaining green onions, garnish with sesame seeds and cilantro.
- Serve in bowl along with cooked white rice and your choice of veggies.
Notes
- Leftovers: You can refrigerate your leftovers up to 4 days in covered containers. I recommend storing each component (meat, rice, veggies) separately, then building new bowls with your leftovers.
Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 559Total Fat 33gSaturated Fat 12gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 17gCholesterol 151mgSodium 1037mgCarbohydrates 15gFiber 1gSugar 12gProtein 48g
Nutrition information calculated by Nutritionix.
Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.
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