Okay, kids, confession time. There is very little about this dish that is authentic. Well, it does have beef, so I guess that’s a start…
But you know what? It might take 15 minutes to cook, call microwavable rice, and be as far from authentic Korean as humanly possible, but nobody complained tonight about that. In fact, things almost came to blows when it came to calling dibs on leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
It’s stupidly simple, but more importantly, it’s just really, really tasty. The meat is sweet and warming, the veggies are crunchy and delicious, the rice offers a carby hug that reaches your soul, and the chilli gives everything a nice kick. Of course, the chilli is entirely optional, but it gives a balance that I personally wouldn’t want to mess with. At less than 400 calories a serve, it’s a great comfort meal without going nuts. It’s full of veggies and good stuff, and you absolutely can omit the brown rice if you so desire (although, happiness for me is knowing that I don’t have to anymore!) without sacrificing the flavour.
Serves 4
Ingredients
1/2 tbs olive oil
1 brown onion, thinly sliced
200g mushrooms, sliced
2tsp minced ginger
1tsp minced garlic
500g lean beef mince
2tbs honey
3tbs soy sauce
2tbs rice wine vinegar
1/4 green cabbage, shredded
1/4 red cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, grated
150g snow peas, thinly sliced
250g microwave brown rice (or 250g cooked brown rice, of course. But the instant rice is just too convenient for me to ignore for a recipe as quick and easy as this!)
1 small, thinly sliced chilli, to serve
1 spring onion (shallot), thinly sliced, to serve.
Method
- Heat oil in a frypan over low-medium heat. Add onions and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until softened.
- Add garlic, ginger and mince to pan and brown for 5 minutes, stirring often to break up meat and cook evenly.
- Stir in honey, soy and vinegar. Reduce heat to low, and cover.
- In a clean frypan, sauté cabbage, carrots and snow peas for 2 minutes, until starting to wilt but not completely soft.
- Meanwhile, cook rice according to packet directions (begin cooking raw rice at the very start of this recipe if not using microwave rice).
- Divide rice into bowls. Top with meat and vegetables, and garnish with chilli and spring onions.
