Korean Beef Bowl (Printer View)

Seasoned ground beef in spicy gochujang sauce over steamed rice with pickled vegetables and kimchi.

# What you'll need:

→ For the Beef

01 - 1 lb lean ground beef
02 - 2 tbsp vegetable oil
03 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
05 - 3 tbsp gochujang
06 - 2 tbsp soy sauce
07 - 1 tbsp brown sugar
08 - 1 tbsp rice vinegar
09 - 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
10 - 2 green onions, thinly sliced

→ For the Pickled Vegetables

11 - 1/2 cup carrot, julienned
12 - 1/2 cup daikon radish, julienned
13 - 1/2 cup rice vinegar
14 - 1 tbsp sugar
15 - 1/2 tsp salt

→ For Serving

16 - 4 cups cooked white rice
17 - 1 cup cucumber, thinly sliced
18 - 1/2 cup radish, thinly sliced
19 - 1 cup kimchi, chopped
20 - 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

# Method:

01 - In a small bowl, combine rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Stir until dissolved. Add julienned carrot and daikon radish, mix well, and set aside to pickle while preparing remaining components.
02 - Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic and grated ginger, sauté for 1 minute until fragrant. Add ground beef and cook, breaking it apart with a spoon, until browned and cooked through, approximately 5 to 6 minutes. Drain excess fat if necessary.
03 - Stir in gochujang, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes additional, allowing sauce to thicken and coat beef evenly. Remove from heat and stir in half of the sliced green onions.
04 - Divide cooked rice equally among 4 bowls. Top each portion with generous amount of beef mixture. Arrange pickled vegetables, cucumber slices, radish slices, and chopped kimchi around beef. Garnish with remaining green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
05 - Serve immediately while beef and rice remain hot.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Everything comes together in under 40 minutes, even if you're moving slowly and tasting as you go.
  • The sweet, spicy, tangy balance hits every craving at once without feeling heavy.
  • You can prep the pickled vegetables days ahead and the beef reheats beautifully for lunch the next day.
  • It looks impressive in the bowl but requires no special skills or hard to find equipment.
02 -
  • Don't skip draining the beef if there's excess fat, it can make the sauce greasy and dull the bright flavors you worked to build.
  • Taste the gochujang before you add it, some brands are much spicier than others, and you can always add more but you can't take it back.
  • Let the pickled vegetables sit for at least 10 minutes, they need time to soften and absorb the brine.
03 -
  • Use a cast iron skillet if you have one, it holds heat better and gives the beef a deeper, more caramelized flavor.
  • Grate the ginger on a microplane instead of chopping it, you'll get more juice and flavor without any fibrous bits.
  • Taste the rice vinegar brine before adding the vegetables, it should be just sweet and salty enough to make you pucker a little.
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