Recipes for Korean Rice bowls abound across the Internet, and they are all delicious, in my experience.  But naturally, I am incapable of just following a recipe and had to create my own.  But credit should definitely be given to The Girl Who Ate Everything for her Cheater Korean Beef recipe, since that was my inspiration.  The two best things about this dish are that my 7-year old who says that everything I cook is awful EVERYONE eats it and asks for seconds, and it’s incredibly easy and quick to make.  I generally have to double this recipe when I make it for dinner (to ensure we have enough and have leftovers).

This week I made these for my make ahead lunch of the week (read HERE to find out why I have to do that), and I’m sure I’m going to have to keep the containers hidden in the back of the refrigerator with “don’t touch, Mom’s lunch” signs on them.

Korean Rice Bowls/Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp avocado oil (I like an oil with a high smoke point for this kind of dish, so I can get the wok nice and hot!).
• 1 TB minced garlic (fresh or jarred is fine)
• 1 TB minced ginger or ginger paste
• 1 lb of lean ground beef (or sub turkey or chicken)
• 1/3 c reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1/4-1/2 tsp of dried red pepper flakes (depending on how much spice you like)
• 3 TB sugar in the raw (or more if you like it sweeter)
• 1 TB sesame oil
• 1 c shelled edamame (I used frozen, defrosted)
• One red pepper, diced
• One green pepper, diced
• 3-4 c of broccoli slaw (I used a 10 oz package)
• 1/2 c sliced green onions (optional)
• 2-4 c cooked rice, depending how much you want per serving (we use brown, but any variety you like works)
• Korean Gochujang (Chili) sauce (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat large wok or pan on the stove over medium high heat until drops of water sizzle when tossed at it.
2. Add oil, garlic and ginger and stir, cooking for 30-60 seconds, until it really smells good.
3. Reduce heat to medium, add ground beef and cook, breaking up with wooden spoon or other utensil, until cooked through (7-10 minutes).
4. While ground beef is cooking, mix together soy sauce, red pepper flakes, sugar and sesame oil in a small bowl or measuring cup.
5. When beef is cooked through, add sauce and stir to mix thoroughly.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
6. Add edamame, bell peppers and broccoli slaw and stir to mix.
7. If you are serving right away, continue to cook until vegetables are desired doneness.  When I use this as a make ahead lunch, I cook the vegetables only for a minute or two, knowing they will cook when I reheat.
8. Serve over rice, garnished with sliced green onions and gochujang, if desired.
9. If using for make ahead meals, divide beef mixture over rice in the containers of your choice (I used these) and refrigerate until reheating to serve.