If I were to have a craving for sweet and spicy beef in the future, I would have a recipe to reference. With some ground beef and other ingredients commonly in my kitchen, I would have a meal ready with little fuss!
Below are some links to more details, including photos:
My Story
With some leftover ground beef to use up, I went online to see what kind of recipes I could find.
Inspiring Recipe
Happily, I came across Korean Ground Beef and Rice Bowls, a simple recipe from the food blog “The Recipe Critic.”
First Try
With all the ingredients that I intended to use already at home, I was able to start making dinner right away!
Ingredients to Use
For each of the ingredients that I used from the recipe, I maintained the measurements for 4 servings. However, some of the items that I had differed as follows:
- 75% instead of 90% lean ground beef
- Regular instead of reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon of fresh grated ginger instead of 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger*
As for the option of white or brown rice, I chose the white one because we don’t stock the brown variety.
Lastly, regarding the garnishes, I only added 1 sliced green onion. For the sesame seeds, I didn’t want to buy a container-full only to have them go stale before we could finish them all.
* According to the article on the Cultured Table website, Ground Ginger vs. Fresh Ginger Root, one teaspoon of ground ginger is equivalent to four tablespoons of fresh ginger, so I used this formula as a guide for the conversion.
Steps to Prepare
With three steps in the instructions, I only made a minor adjustment to Step 2 by using a measuring cup to whisk the sauce ingredients together instead of a small bowl.
Time to Eat
After simmering the ground beef and sauce for two minutes, the beef was ready to serve with the rice and green onions.
Recipe Rating
Below were the results of the recipe after the first try:
| # of Ingredients | Effort | $ / Serving | Try Again? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 |  | |  |
Though the meal looked simple, the familiar Korean taste of sugar and ginger prevailed.
Second Try
For the second attempt, my only goal was to enjoy the simplicity of preparing this meal.
Ingredients to Use
This time, I also kept the ingredients as they were during the first round.
Steps to Prepare
The only modification I made during the second try was to simmer the ground beef in the sauce for an extra two minutes, for four minutes in total.
Time to Eat
With a little extra cooking time, I was curious to see if the texture of the beef had changed.
Recipe Rating
Below are the results of the recipe from the second attempt:
| # of Ingredients | Effort | $ / Serving | Try Again? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | | | |
Though the beef came out a little rougher, the taste luckily wasn’t impacted.
If I crave a sweet, spicy, and gingery beef dish, I would make this rice bowl again. However, what I would experiment with is as follows:
Continuous Improvement
- Decrease the ginger and increase the red pepper flakes.
Reflecting on how this modest recipe could be enhanced, I thought of the following that I’d like to share with my dumber self:
Lesson for Dumber Self
- Even a simple recipe can be fine-tuned to satisfy your taste buds!
What will you do now?
Next Step for You
- Try the recipe, Korean Ground Beef and Rice Bowls, from a food blog, The Recipe Critic?
- Share an easy Korean recipe of yours?
- Read another post on this site? (Go to the menu at the top of the page.)
Leave a Reply