Easy Korean Beef Bowl (Print Version)

Spicy Korean-style ground beef with tangy gochujang sauce over rice, topped with crisp vegetables.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Beef & Sauce

01 - 1 pound 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
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 apart with a spatula until fully browned and cooked through.
02 - Add minced garlic and grated ginger to the cooked beef. 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 sauce thickens and coats the beef.
04 - Taste the beef mixture and adjust seasoning as desired. Remove from heat.
05 - Divide cooked rice among four bowls, allocating approximately 1 cup per serving. Top each portion with the Korean beef sauce.
06 - Top each bowl with cucumber slices, julienned carrot, green onion, and toasted sesame seeds. Add sliced red chili and kimchi if desired. Serve immediately.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • It tastes restaurant-quality but comes together faster than ordering takeout, even with all the fresh toppings.
  • The sauce is bold enough to feel special yet simple enough that you're never stressed while making it.
  • You can customize it endlessly—cauliflower rice for low carb days, chicken for lighter nights, or pile on extra kimchi if you're feeling it.
02 -
  • Don't skip browning the beef properly—that crusty, caramelized surface is where the flavor lives, and rushing it by clumping it all together will leave you with gray, steamed meat instead.
  • The sauce should coat the beef like a gloss, not drown it, so if your mixture looks too thin after 2-3 minutes of simmering, you may have used more soy sauce than intended—taste before adding more.
03 -
  • Toast your sesame seeds in a dry skillet for 2-3 minutes right before serving—that small step transforms them from background element to something people actually notice and love.
  • If you're making this for someone with a spice tolerance you're unsure about, serve the gochujang sauce on the side so they control the heat level rather than you deciding for them.
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