Easy Korean Beef Bowl (Print Version)

Savory ground beef in spicy gochujang sauce over rice with fresh toppings, ready in 25 minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Beef & Sauce

01 - 1 lb lean ground beef
02 - 2 tablespoons gochujang
03 - 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
04 - 2 tablespoons brown sugar
05 - 1 tablespoon sesame oil
06 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
07 - 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
08 - 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
09 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

→ Rice Base

10 - 4 cups cooked white rice or cauliflower rice

→ Fresh Toppings

11 - 1 cup cucumber, thinly sliced
12 - 1 cup carrot, julienned or shredded
13 - 2 green onions, thinly sliced
14 - 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
15 - 1 fresh red chili, sliced thin (optional)
16 - Kimchi for serving (optional)

# How to Make It:

01 - Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook for 4-5 minutes, breaking up the meat constantly, until fully browned and cooked through.
02 - Add minced garlic and grated ginger to the beef and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Stir in gochujang, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and black pepper. Mix thoroughly and simmer for 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens and coats the beef evenly.
04 - Taste the beef mixture and adjust seasoning to your preference. Remove from heat.
05 - Divide cooked rice or cauliflower rice among serving bowls. Top each portion generously with the Korean beef mixture.
06 - Top each bowl with cucumber slices, shredded carrot, green onions, toasted sesame seeds, and optional fresh chili or kimchi. Serve immediately.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It's ready in 25 minutes, which means you can make something restaurant-quality without the stress.
  • The sauce is sweet, spicy, and deeply savory all at once—flavors that actually make leftovers taste even better the next day.
  • You can swap rice for cauliflower rice and feel like you're being clever without sacrificing taste.
02 -
  • Don't add the sauce ingredients gradually—dump them all in together and mix well, or the gochujang won't distribute evenly and you'll end up with weird sweet spots.
  • If your sauce looks too thin, let it simmer an extra minute or two; if it looks too thick, a splash of water will fix it without ruining anything.
03 -
  • If you're cooking for people with different heat tolerances, make the beef plain and divide it, then add sauce only to the portions that want it—no one feels left out.
  • Toast your sesame seeds in a dry skillet for 2 minutes before sprinkling them on; the difference between sad and toasted sesame is the difference between meh and wow.
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