Korean Ground Beef Bowls

45 min · Easy · Serves 4

780 kcal per serving · 38g protein

Sweet, savoury, and gingery ground beef over jasmine rice with quick-pickled cucumber and a jammy egg. Ready in 45 minutes, ideal for packing.

Ingredients

• 500 g Ground beef
• 320 g Jasmine rice
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 4 tsp Fresh ginger
• 6 tbsp Soy sauce
• 4 tbsp Brown sugar
• 4 tsp Gochujang (Korean chilli paste)
• Spring onion × 4
• 40 ml Rice vinegar
• 20 g Sesame seeds
• 20 ml Sesame oil
• Cucumber × 1
• 600 ml Water
• 8 g Salt
• Eggs × 4

Method

1. Rinse the rice

   

   Rinse jasmine rice under cold water until the water runs mostly clear.

2. Combine

   

   Combine in a pot with 1.5x rice volume of water and a pinch of salt.

3. Bring to a boil

   

   Bring to a boil, cover, reduce to lowest heat, and cook 12 minutes.

4. Remove from heat and rest

   

   Remove from heat and rest covered 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

5. Thinly slice the cucumber

   

   Thinly slice the cucumber.

6. Toss with rice vinegar

   

   Toss with rice vinegar, a pinch of sugar, and a pinch of salt.

7. Set aside

   

   Set aside — it will pickle while you cook.

8. Taste after 10 minutes

   

   Taste after 10 minutes; it should be crisp and tangy.

9. Soft-Boil the Eggs

   

   Lower eggs into simmering water and cook for exactly 6 minutes 30 seconds for a jammy yolk. Transfer to an ice bath for 2 minutes, then peel.

10. Mix the Sauce

    

    In a small bowl whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar, gochujang, and sesame oil until smooth.

11. Heat a dry pan

    

    Heat a dry pan over high heat. Add ground beef and break it up.

12. Cook 5-6 minutes without stirring

    

    Cook 5-6 minutes without stirring too much, letting it brown deeply in spots, until no pink is left.

13. Drain excess fat

    

    Drain excess fat.

14. Add grated garlic and ginger

    

    Add grated garlic and ginger, cook 30 seconds.

15. Pour the sauce

    

    Pour the sauce over the beef and stir to coat.

16. Let it bubble

    

    Let it bubble for 1-2 minutes until glossy and thickened.

17. Divide rice into bowls

    

    Divide rice into bowls, top with beef, pickled cucumber, halved soft-boiled egg, sliced spring onion, and a generous sprinkle of sesame seeds.

More to cook

• Gochujang Beef Pasta25 min
• Chicken Teriyaki Rice Bowl35 min
• Crispy Baked Rice Salad with Salmon65 min
• Beef Teriyaki Rice Bowls35 min