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Korean

Korean Beef Bowls

Ground beef simmered with soy, ginger, garlic, and a little brown sugar, served over rice with cucumber. Fast, salty, and sweet in a controlled way.

Prep
10 min
Cook
15 min
Total
25 min
Servings
4
Difficulty
Easy
Jump to recipe
Rice topped with savory ground beef, cucumber, sesame seeds, and green onion.

Why you’ll love it

  • Ground beef means no slicing and a short cook.
  • The sauce is pantry soy, sugar, garlic, and ginger.
  • Cucumber on the side keeps the bowl from being only rich.
  • A fried egg is optional and written as a swap, not a requirement.

Ingredients

Servings4

Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.

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Instructions

  1. 1

    Cook the beef in a skillet over medium heat, breaking it up, until browned and 160°F, about 8 minutes. Drain most of the fat, leaving about a tablespoon.

  2. 2

    Add garlic and ginger. Stir 30 seconds.

  3. 3

    Add soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and pepper flakes. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes, until the beef looks glazed, not watery.

  4. 4

    Stir in most of the green onions.

  5. 5

    Spoon the beef over rice. Add cucumber, sesame seeds, and the rest of the green onions.

  6. 6

    Taste. If it is too salty, a squeeze of rice vinegar or a little more rice balances it.

Pro tips

  • Drain the fat or the sauce will taste greasy instead of glossy.
  • Brown sugar melts into the soy. Do not turn the heat up so high that it burns on the edges.
  • Slice the cucumber while the beef cooks so the bowl is not all hot food.

Easy substitutions

Brown sugar
Honey, 1 tablespoon.
Cucumber
Shredded carrot tossed with a pinch of salt and vinegar.
A plain bowl
A fried egg on top, if you want it.

Storage and reheating

Storage

Refrigerate the beef up to 3 days. Keep the cucumber separate.

Reheating

Warm the beef in a skillet with a spoon of water until hot. Use fresh cucumber.

Nutrition

Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.

Calories
520
Protein
28 g
Carbs
48 g
Fat
22 g
Fiber
2 g

Budget friendly · Stovetop

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From the kitchen

Kitchen tools we love

Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.

  • A heavy 12-inch skillet

    Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.

  • An air fryer with a real basket

    The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.

  • A half-sheet pan

    Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.

  • A sharp chef’s knife

    These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.

  • A large cutting board

    Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.

  • Dry cups and a liquid cup

    Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.

  • An instant-read thermometer

    Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.

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Ingredients