This week I was really into fast dinners. Minimal prep, short cooking time, not too much clean up = a happy Rachel. One bowl meals completely fit the bill in this regard, so I was excited to find a yummy simple recipe to adapt from the Steamy Kitchen blog.
You can use many types of beef, but I used some pre-cut stir fry flank steak. Ground beef or any other meat or tofu would be a great substitute. As far as the rice goes, I was planning on using the totally underutilized bag of brown rice that takes up room in my fridge, but when I took it out to cook, the cooking instructions said that it took 50 minutes of simmering. Yikes! Way too long for my fast dinner thing. So I went with the almost empty bag of jasmine rice in the cabinet that only takes 9 minutes to simmer. I think that I am going to get rid of the outrageously long cooking brown rice and replace with something else whole grain-y that cooks faster for next time.
Korean Beef Rice Bowl, adapted from Steamy Kitchen
Ingredients:
2 cups raw rice
1 pound beef (see headnote)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cooking oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks or thinly sliced
1 small zucchini, diced
2 handfuls of spinach leaves
1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
*Note: next time I would consider adding peppers and mushrooms to the equation too, or maybe some brocolli…the more veggies, the merrier. I also added a dash of sriracha on my bowl to give it a good kick…feel free to use as much or as little as suits your spice tolerance. (Brendan went with none and said it was delicious without any condiments.)
Directions:
1. Cook the rice according to package instructions.
2. For the beef, if using flank steak: Cut the steak into very thin slices ACROSS the grain. If using other steak: Cut the steak into very small cubes, about 1/2-inch. If using ground beef: leave as-is.
3. In a large bowl, combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic and brown sugar. Add the beef and toss to coat. Let marinate while you prep the vegetables.
4. Heat a large saute pan or wok on medium heat. When hot, swirl in the oil. Add the onions and saute for 1 minute. Turn the heat to high and give it just a few seconds to heat up. Add in the beef, spreading the beef all over the surface of the pan, tossing with the onions. Saute for 3-4 minutes until just barely pink.
5. Add in the carrots, zucchini and toss. Cook for 1 minute. Toss in the spinach and cook for an additional minute. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with rice.
Unfortunately, I only got one good picture of this beautiful meal because the camera battery died and it was charging while I was cooking. Luckily I got that top snap right before we sat down to eat….more next time!
For Nana 