Korean Beef Bowl Gochujang (Printable Version)

Savory beef in spicy chili sauce over rice with tangy pickled vegetables and fresh toppings.

# What You'll Need:

→ For the Beef

01 - 1 lb lean ground beef
02 - 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
03 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
05 - 3 tablespoons gochujang
06 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce
07 - 1 tablespoon brown sugar
08 - 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
09 - 1 teaspoon 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 tablespoon sugar
15 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

→ For Serving

16 - 4 cups cooked white rice
17 - 1 cup cucumber, thinly sliced
18 - 1/2 cup radish, thinly sliced
19 - 1 cup kimchi, chopped
20 - 1 tablespoon 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 during preparation.
02 - Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic and 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 to 6 minutes. Drain excess fat if necessary.
03 - Stir in gochujang, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken and coat the beef. Remove from heat and stir in half the green onions.
04 - Divide cooked rice among 4 bowls. Top each with a generous portion of the beef mixture. Arrange pickled vegetables, cucumber, radish, and kimchi around the beef. Garnish with remaining green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
05 - Serve immediately while the beef is warm and rice is hot.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together faster than takeout delivery, but tastes like you spent hours thinking about flavor.
  • The textures keep you interested with spicy beef, crisp vegetables, tangy kimchi, and chewy rice all in one bowl.
  • Once you make the pickled vegetables, half the work is done and waiting for you.
  • It's naturally dairy-free and adapts to whatever proteins or vegetables you have on hand.
02 -
  • Don't skip draining excess fat from the beef, as it creates a greasy sauce that tastes unbalanced instead of vibrant.
  • Prep your pickled vegetables at the very beginning, because they need time to soften and absorb flavor, and this small head start changes everything.
  • The sauce will thicken as it cools, so if it seems too thin when you're cooking, it's actually perfect and will coat the beef beautifully in the bowl.
03 -
  • Toast your sesame seeds in a dry skillet for one minute right before serving, as the heat releases their fragrance and makes the whole bowl taste more sophisticated.
  • Prep your pickled vegetables the morning of, and they'll be even more flavorful and tender by dinner time.
  • If your beef mixture seems dry, add a tablespoon of rice vinegar or water, as the sauce should glisten rather than cling stiffly.
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