Korean Beef Bowls

Rice bowls are something that I make often at home because I always tend to have cooked rice on hand. I make huge batches of rice (because I still don't know how to cook for one person, haha) and then I portion them into plastic bags and freeze them. Then, when I need rice, I pop it in the microwave and steam it to bring it back to life. Thanks for that genius life hack, Natasha. Talk about a total game changer!

These Korean beef bowls are ones I always go back to since learning how to make them. Another shout out to my longtime friend Natasha because this recipe was adapted from what she taught me when we lived together. Many a college night, she fed me and taught me about bibimbap, various fried rices with kimchi, dumplings, yachaejon, and ramen and I fed her and taught her about plantains, Puerto Rican rice and beans, and other kinds of fritanga. Always a great time!

Rice bowls are super easy to make, filling, and delicious. This is a take on bibimbap since it doesn’t include any of the traditional condiments or vegetables that come with it. Honestly perfect for a quick, weeknight meal. You can easily substitute ground turkey or chicken in place of the beef and if you want to jazz them up with lots of vegetables, go for it!

This recipe is pretty straightforward. No frills or fancy prep work. So, let's get to it.

Korean Beef Bowls

Cook time: 25-30 minutes

Serves: 4

Vegetable oil

1 medium yellow onion, small dice

1 small green pepper, small dice

Kosher salt

Black pepper

3 cloves of garlic, smashed into a paste

1lb lean ground beef

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

Toasted sesame oil, for garnish

Steamed white rice

Green onion, sliced for garnish

Nori Komi Furikake seasoning (or plain sesame seeds), for garnish

In a large skillet or Dutch oven, add enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Over medium heat, sauté the diced onion and green pepper until the onion is translucent and crisp, about 5-6 minutes. Season with kosher salt and black pepper. Then, add the garlic cloves. Sweat these for about 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant. You don't want the garlic to burn. Next, add the ground beef and break apart with the back of your spoon or spatula. Cook through until browned and drain any additional grease that may be in the pan.

Once the ground beef is cooked through, turn the heat up to medium-high and start crisping up the beef. Then, add the ground ginger, low-sodium soy sauce, and light brown sugar and stir well until the sugar dissolves. Cook for about 5 minutes and then finish with the sesame oil. I love toasted sesame oil, so I tend to be slightly heavy-handed. But start with a little bit and then taste it. Season accordingly, of course.

Serve the ground beef mixture over a bowl of steamed white rice and garnish with sliced green onion and a good few shakes of furikake seasoning.

¡Buen provecho!