The fastest growing segment in the local restaurant world is Asian, and there’s good reason why. Light and colorful, Asian-inspired cuisine in its many forms gives us multilayered flavors and diverse textures that are instantly craveable.
They also make you wish you had the skills to pull off these dishes at home.
The problem, of course, is time. The other night, I was dying for something Asian, and as usual, I had very little time to get out a cookbook, shop for the right ingredients and pull it together. So, I sleuthed around for something minimalistic and that used ingredients I generally had on hand.
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I gave this recipe for Korean ground beef and rice bowls a try, and it turned out to be a definite keeper. It was fresh, fun and easy, and it was a great way to liberate ground beef from its usual shackles. The sauce is great, and if you prefer, you could pour it over sautéed strips of sirloin, chicken or pork.
Sauté or stir fry fresh vegetables on the side. Pictured are fresh pioppino and oyster mushrooms and bok choy, which I picked up last week from the Red Stick Farmers Market. Use the sesame oil required for the ground beef sauce when sautéing the vegetables for a deeper flavor.
Korean ground beef and rice bowls
Recipe by TheRecipeCritic.com
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Serves 2-4
1 pound lean ground beef
3 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup dark brown sugar
¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce or tamari
2 teaspoons sesame oil
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 cups hot cooked white or brown rice
Scallions and sesame seeds for garnish
- In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef and garlic, breaking the meat into fine crumbles until it is cooked through. Drain off fat and return meat to pan.
- In a small bowl, whisk brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, red pepper flakes and pepper. Pour over the ground beef and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Serve over hot rice. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.
Maggie Heyn Richardson is a regular 225 contributor. Reach her at hungryforlouisiana.com.