This Japanese Beef and Rice Bowl has just become my favourite! Sure it’s easy but it can be changed so easily to be so many other bowls too. Want to know how?
Oh yes. This is an excellent dish for changing up to suit your needs.
While I made it I realised how many different ways you can cook this great family bowl. I’ll take you through that shortly.
First up, just to let you know this recipe was inspired and supported by Hello Fresh. There are some great recipes on their website and in these drastic times of money struggles, they can help you control waste and spending.
Eat it all now- Or save some for later!
Yum Yum Yum, look at that delicious bowl. It has all the flavours and textures and that’s what is important to me. The other thing that’s really important to me is being able to take leftovers to work.
I guess some of us, also want to be able to make and eat later. Well, this is one for sharing. Even if everyone comes home for dinner at different times this will work for you!
A delicious Japanese bowl that can be many things!
Before I tell you how many ways you can change up this bowl to make dinners for weeks, let’s just talk about what’s in this recipe.
- Jasmin Rice: Not such a difficult ingredient. We will steam it and keep it simple.
- Cucumber. Fresh crunchy cucumber is one of the perfect parts of this dish. The crunch and the freshness of the dressing are heavenly. Do not skip it. It’s one of the vegetable secrets in this bowl.
- Carrot. This is the other secret vegetable component that is not to be underestimated. It’s barely cooked and so it has nutrition, colour and texture.
- Asian greens/ bok choy/ choy sum or even Chinese broccoli. I love crunchy bok choy cut into chunks and barely cooked
- There are several things that make this bowl irresistible BUT one of the most is the combination of flavours that make up the sauce. Start with oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, mirin, rice wine vinegar and lemon juice. These create a big part of the magic
- Pickled onion. DO NOT SKIP THESE. So easy to make and so useful. They make nearly all dishes amazing. They keep and can be eaten with roast chicken, steak, vegetables or on sandwiches.
- Kupee mayonnaise- just a squirt or two. Makes EVERYTHING task great. Perfection
- Sesame seeds. These always give flavour and crunch. Plus they look good!
- Protein, whether it is the beef in this recipe or chicken or salmon or tofu, whichever protein you use will work with the sauce, the pickles and the cucumber.
How do you make the BEST pickled onions?
So many recipes in one post! These pickled onions can be used for salads, sandwiches, or as an accompaniment to just about anything. If you love onions but can’t handle the burn this simple technique is for you.
- Cut your onions up.
- Lightly salt and sit for 10 minutes
- Wash off the salt and drain
- Add to a bowl, along with rice wine vinegar and sugar (to pickle). Then stand for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.
To make this even faster you can heat the pickling liquid and pour it over the onions. Stir and use as soon as it is cooled.
The next step in creating this recipe is to prepare the sauce and the dressing
Before starting to cook the beef (or other protein) and vegetables you should :
- Steam the rice and leave aside ready to serve
- Prepare the sauce by mixing all the bits and pieces together
- Make the dressing. Remember to add the liquid ingredients into the Kewpie (mayonnaise) to avoid lumps
- Crush the garlic and grate the ginger
Now we are ready to cook. The sauce itself does not need any cooking just heating up!
How to cook this fantastic Japanese Beef Rice Bowl
This is how you put together the quick and easy stir-fried ingredients
- Cucumber, grated carrot and roughly chopped baby bok choy. (Not pictured) Heat the frypan and add mixed sesame seeds to the hot dry frypan and toss for two minutes. Pour into a bowl. You can also use just white sesame seeds if you prefer
- Reheat the frypan and add some oil, then add the crushed garlic and ginger and lightly sauteed until fragrant.
- The next step is to add the minced beef to the hot pan and brown
- Add the premixed sauce, stir lightly and then the vegetables and stir to just combine. If your frypan is small or the heat a bit dodgy put a lid on for a brief moment.
- Once mixed together turn it off and remove it from the stove- It’s ready!
How do I customize this bowl?
This Japanese Beef Rice Bowl can be customized to suit you.
Just add the protein you like best.
- Chicken or Turkey mince- just follow the same directions and amounts
- All vegetable? Add extra sliced capsicum, onion, broccoli or even peas!
- Tofu. Crumble a block of firm tofu into a bowl. saute the onion and garlic, add the tofu and saute until warmed through and starting to colour, then go ahead and add the sauce, stir and add the vegetables. If you prefer a vegan dish use a vegetarian oyster sauce.
- Salmon or fish. Cut the fish into small pieces and follow the directions for beef making sure you only cook the fish very briefly in the garlic and ginger mixture. Fish will continue to cook much faster than meat. Salmon mince is amazing in this dish. Find it at a fish market near you.
- Brown rice or even quinoa- yes you can!
This isn’t the first time I have found recipe inspiration on Hello Fresh. This recipe for Cuban Pork Succotash was a huge hit.
Japanese Beef and Rice Bowl
Ingredients
Steamed Rice
- 300 gm Jasmin Rice 1.5 cups
- 750 ml water 3 cups
- 2 gm salt 1/2 teaspoon
Pickled Spanish Onions
- 200 gm Spanish or red onion 2 small to medium
- 60 ml Rice wine vinegar 1/4 cup
- 30 gm Sugar, white/caster 2 tablespoons
- 5 gm salt (cooking) 1 teaspoon
- 15 ml water 1 tablespoon
Japanese inspired sauce
- 60 ml Oyster sauce 4 Tablespoons
- 60 ml soy sauce (light) 4 Tablespoons
- 60 ml sesame oil 4 Tablespoons
- 60 gm brown sugar 4 Tablespoons
Japanese dressing
- 15 ml soy sauce, light | gluten free if required 1 Tablespoon
- 30 ml Sesame oil 2 tablespoons
- 30 ml lemon Juice 2 Tablespoons
- 30 ml Mirin 2 Tablespoons
- 75 gm kewpie mayonnaise 5 Tablespoons
Beef and Vegetables
- sesame seeds, white and black
- 30 ml oil or olive oil 2 Tablespoons
- 3 cloves garlic
- 50 gm ginger, grated 3- 4 tablsp
- 150 gm carrot 1 large carrot
- 1 bunch bok choy (Asian Greens) about 3 cups
- 500 gm beef, minced 1 lb
Instructions
Pickled Spanish Onion
- Peel and thinly slice the red onion. Sprinkle with a 1 teaspoon of salt and set aside for 10 minutes. Put into a colander and rinse well to remove the salt and all the onion acid and drain. Put the rice wine vinegar and sugar into a bowl and microwave for a minute to melt the sugar. Pour over the onions along with the extra water and stir well. Come back and stir intermittently. These will be ready when you need them.
Steamed rice
- In a medium saucepan, bring the water to the boil. Add the jasmine rice, stir, cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 12 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat and keep covered until the rice is tender and all the water is absorbed, 10-15 minutes.TIP: The rice will finish cooking in its own steam. Don't open the lid. Set aside until needed
Delicious Japanese flavoured sauce
- Mix the ingredients together and set aside
Japanese dressing
- Mix all the ingredients into the kewpie mayonnaise. This is so good you might want to double the recipe. Add extra lemon to taste
Finishing the Rice Bowl
- Finely grate the ginger and the garlic. Roughly chop the Asian greens. Thinly slice the cucumber into half-moons. Grate the carrot ( no need to peel).
- Heat a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the mixed sesame seeds and toast, tossing, until golden, 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
- Return the frying pan to a medium-high heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Add the ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add the beef mince, to the pan, breaking up with a spoon, until browned, 3-4 minutes. Add the Japanese flavoured sauce, the carrot, the green vegetables and stir until combined. Turn off the heat. There is no need to cook the beef mixture any further. This way the vegetables stay beautiful and crisp and colourful.
- Divide the jasmine rice between 4 bowls and top with the Japanese beef, pickled onion and cucumber. Garnish with the toasted sesame seeds and top with the Japanese mayonnaise sauce.
Notes
My Kitchen Stories is supported by Hello Fresh, healthy meals for everyone
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