Korean Beef Bowl with Gochujang (Print Version)

Seasoned ground beef in spicy gochujang sauce over rice with pickled vegetables 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 or brown 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 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 sauce to thicken and coat beef evenly. Remove from heat and stir in half of the green onions.
04 - Divide cooked rice among 4 serving bowls. Top each with generous portion of beef mixture. Arrange pickled vegetables, cucumber, radish, and kimchi around beef. Garnish with remaining green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
05 - Serve immediately while beef and rice remain warm.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • It comes together in about 35 minutes from start to finish, making it perfect for busy nights when you still want something exciting.
  • The balance of spicy, sweet, tangy, and savory in one bowl keeps your palate dancing with every spoonful.
  • You can prep everything ahead and assemble bowls fresh, which is ideal when feeding a crowd or meal-prepping for yourself.
02 -
  • Gochujang is fermented and salty, so don't add extra salt thinking the bowl tastes flat, because it will come alive as it cools slightly and the flavors settle.
  • The pickled vegetables actually improve if you make them 30 minutes or even a few hours ahead, so do that part first if you're planning dinner and want less to do at the last minute.
03 -
  • Don't skip the step of mixing the pickled vegetables early, because they need time to soften and absorb the vinegar, and doing this while you cook the beef means less multitasking at the end.
  • If your gochujang seems thick and stubborn when you're stirring it into the sauce, add the rice vinegar first and let it sit for 30 seconds to loosen the paste, then everything incorporates smoothly.
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