Korean Beef Bowl Gochujang (Print Version)

Seasoned ground beef in spicy gochujang sauce over steamed rice with pickled vegetables, cucumber, radish, 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

# How to Make It:

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 up with a spoon, until browned and fully cooked through, approximately 5-6 minutes. Drain excess fat if necessary.
03 - Stir in gochujang, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Cook for 2-3 minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken and coat the beef evenly. Remove from heat and stir in half the green onions.
04 - Divide cooked rice among 4 bowls. Top each with a generous portion of beef mixture. Arrange pickled vegetables, cucumber slices, radish slices, and chopped kimchi around the beef. Garnish with remaining green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
05 - Serve immediately while beef is warm and rice is at optimal temperature.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It comes together faster than you'd expect, making it perfect for weeknight dinners when you want something that tastes like you spent hours cooking.
  • The contrast of warm spiced beef against cool pickled vegetables and tangy kimchi hits every part of your palate at once.
  • Once you nail the gochujang sauce, you'll find yourself making this bowl on repeat because it never gets old.
02 -
  • Don't skip the pickling step thinking the vegetables will be fine raw, because that quick brine is what transforms them from ordinary garnish into something bright and crunchy that balances the richness of the beef.
  • If your gochujang sauce looks too thin after cooking, you either used too much liquid somewhere or your heat wasn't high enough; if it looks too thick or pasty, add a splash of water to loosen it because the sauce should coat the beef without being gluey.
03 -
  • If you want extra heat without changing the flavor balance, add a final drizzle of sriracha or a teaspoon of extra gochujang stirred into the sauce instead of dumping it on top.
  • Toast your sesame seeds in a dry skillet for two minutes right before serving, because the difference between raw and toasted is the difference between a nice garnish and something truly delicious.
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