I love how rice bowls bring many different tastes and textures together into a dazzling mashup of flavor. This Korean Beef Rice Bowl starts with steamy rice and juicy ground beef. Resting on that foundation, an assortment of veggies bring different levels of spice, crunch, and refreshment. A sweet, tangy, sticky, and slightly spicy gochujang-mayo sauce finishes the dish off for a flavor that is somehow impactful, yet approachable. As much as I love all the ingredients in this recipe, it is simple to personalize each bowl by adding a little more of the ingredients each person really likes and skipping some they may not care for as much.
With so many different ingredients, this is truly a fully-balanced meal in a bowl. With carbs from the rice, protein and fat from the beef, and tons of vitamins and fiber from the veggies, you can be sure you (and any family or guests you might share this with) are getting all the nutrition you need. This means you don’t actually need to accompany this rice bowl with any sides. Since the whole recipe can be made in half an hour, this is a great option for a weeknight dinner.
Scroll down to see how you can make this delicious Korean Beef Rice Bowl in your own kitchen!
Ingredients
- 2 cups Rice, medium grain or short grain (or 4 cups Cooked rice)
- 2 1/2 cups Water
- 2 lbs Ground Beef
- 1/4 cup Soy sauce
- 1/4 cup Brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp Garlic, minced or grated
- 3 Tbsp Ginger, grated
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Pepper
- 1 Tbsp Sesame oil
- 1 head Romaine lettuce
- 2 Scallions
- 1 cup Pea shoots (optional)
- 1 Tbsp Toasted sesame seeds (optional)
Quick Pickled Radish
- 1 lb Radish
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1/2 Vinegar
- 1 cup Water
Gochujang Mayo Sauce
- 1/4 cup Gochujang
- 1/3 cup Mayonnaise
Instructions
If you are using leftover cooked rice, you can skip to the next step. Otherwise, the first step in making the rice bowl is making the rice. Put 2 cups medium or short grain rice and 2 1/2 cups of water in a sauce pan. Place the lid on and cook over high heat until the water starts boiling. Then, turn the heat down to low and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let it rest for 5 minutes.
While you can use any type of rice, or any type of grain for that matter, this recipe recommends using medium or short grain rice as they have higher starch content and will yield stickier rice, which is typical in Korean cuisine. You can read more about how to make sticky Korean rice here.
Once the rice is on the stove, begin preparing the ground beef. Preheat a skillet over medium heat and add ground beef, soy sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, grated ginger, salt and pepper. Break up the ground beef in the skillet. Stir occasionally and cook for 15 minutes. Optionally, for a less greasy rice bowl, push the ground beef to one side of the pan once cooked and soak up the grease with paper towels. Add sesame oil at the end and stir to coat the ground beef.
As the beef is cooking, prepare the quick-pickled radishes. First, cut the radishes into thin slices, about 1/8 inch. Then, mix together sugar, vinegar, and water in a bowl to make the pickling solution. To the pickling solution, add the radish slices. Pickle the radishes for 15 minutes.
Next, prepare the vegetable toppings for the beef rice bowl. Cut the romaine lettuce into shreds and chop the scallions. Pea shoots do not need any preparation except washing.
Lastly, make the gochujang-mayo sauce. This is super easy—mix gochujang with mayo.
Once the rice is cooked and all the toppings are ready, all that remains is assembly. Put rice into a large bowl and top it with ground beef, as well as lettuce, pickled radish, pea shoots, and scallions. Add gochujang-mayo sauce and a sprinkle of sesame on top. Now, the Korean beef rice bowl is ready!
If you like this recipe, you might also like Rice Bowl with Avocado, Eggs and Bacon, or Korean Spicy Soba Noodle Salad. Also, subscribe via email or follow on Instagram to receive updates on all my latest recipes!
Korean Beef Rice Bowl
Ingredients
- 2 cups Rice, medium grain or short grain or 4 cups Cooked rice
- 2½ cups Water
- 2 lbs Ground beef
- ¼ cup Soy sauce
- ¼ cup Brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp Garlic minced or grated
- 3 Tbsp Ginger grated
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Pepper
- 1 Tbsp Sesame oil
- 1 head Romaine lettuce
- 2 Scallions
- 1 cup Pea shoots optional
- 1 Tbsp Toasted sesame seeds optional
Quick Pickled Radish
- 1 lb Radish
- ½ cup Sugar
- ½ cup Vinegar
- 1 cup Water
Gochujang Mayo Sauce
- ¼ cup Gochujang
- ⅓ cup Mayonnaise
Instructions
- Put 2 cups of medium or short grain rice and 2 1/2 cups of water in a pot or sauce pan. Place the lid on and cook over high heat until the water starts boiling. Then, turn the heat down to low and cook for 20 minutes. Remove rice from heat and let it rest for 5 minutes.
- While the rice is cooking, prepare the ground beef. Preheat a skillet over medium heat and add ground beef, soy sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, grated ginger, salt, and pepper. Break up the ground beef in the skillet. Stir occasionally and cook for 15 minutes. Once the beef is cooked through, push the ground beef to one side of the pan and soak up the grease with paper towels. Add sesame oil at the end and stir to coat the ground beef.
- While the beef is cooking, prepare the quick-pickled radishes. First, cut the radishes into thin slices, about 1/8 inch. Then, mix together sugar, vinegar, and water to make the pickling solution. Pickle the radishes in the pickling solution for 15 minutes.
- Prepare the vegetable toppings. Cut the romaine lettuce into shreds and chop the scallions. Pea shoots only need to be washed.
- Make the gochujang-mayo sauce by mixing gochujang with mayonnaise.
- Assemble the rice bowl. Put cooked rice in a bowl and top with ground beef, lettuce, pickled radish, scallions, and pea shoots. Add gochujag-mayo sauce and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds.
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