Beef

Korean Beef (Savory Ground Beef A La Brown Sugar)

by:
May  1, 2013
4.6
5 Ratings
  • Serves 6 to 8
Author Notes

I found this really tasty recipe in one of my favorite recipe blogs, theenglishkitchen.blogspot.com. It is called Korean Beef, and consists of ground lean beef stir fried in sesame oil, and seasoned with soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and (Yummy Yummy) light brown sugar. It is then topped with chopped spring onions (also known as scallions). I have no idea how authentic this recipe is but, one thing for sure, both adults and children love it when I serve it. Plus it is very easy to make and inexpensive. The recipe that I am posting is not really my very own recipe, but is instead adapted from the version found in theenglishkitchen.blogspot.com. I have modified the quantity of some of the ingredients and added some colorful peppers (red and/or orange and/or yellow), and Sriracha Sauce (a reddish hot sauce that can be found in Asian stores and even some supermarkets). Serve over white rice. May also be good served over some plain pasta seasoned with salt and pepper and butter. —Regine

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Ingredients
  • 3 pounds Extra Lean Ground Beef (90% fat free)
  • 1 cup Light Brown Sugar
  • 3/4 cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
  • 12 small to medium garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
  • 2 teaspoons Ginger, Grated
  • 2 small Bell Peppers, diced (2 different colors, i.e red and orange, green and red...)
  • 1-2 teaspoons Sriracha Sauce (or crushed red chilies to taste)
  • 3 Bunch of Spring Onions, washed, trimmed and chopped
  • 4 tablespoons Sesame Oil, divided
Directions
  1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 3 tbsp of the oil. Once it is heated add the ground beef and cook until it is evenly brown and no longer pink. Some liquid will come out of the beef; leave as is. Add the ginger and garlic, and continue to cook until mixture becomes fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the brown sugar, soy sauce, and Sriracha, and continue to cook for about 5 minutes. Taste and add salt (if you feel it is not salty enough) and black pepper. I usually add about 1/8 tsp salt myself. If you desire dish to be more spicy, add more Sriracha. Remove from skillet, then add the remaining 1 tbsp sesame oil; once heated, add the bell peppers and stir until softer but still a bit firm. Stir the bell peppers into the meat, and top with the spring onions. Make sure you use the spring onions; they contribute much to this dish. If a buffet, put the meat in a big bowl and top it with the spring onions; and put the rice in another bowl for people to serve themselves. Or if you are making individual dishes, place rice first and then the beef topped with the spring onions.

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4 Reviews

Christie June 22, 2022
Quick and easy. My kids love this. I serve with sushi rice, and cut back quite a bit on the brown sugar.
Regine March 29, 2016
Dan, It is so good though with the brown sugar. Sara, I am happy you liked it with your changes. I have yet to taste Agave Nectar.
sara March 9, 2016
Fantastic! What an easy and great way to use ground beef. I used less sweetener and used only 1/4 cup of agave nectar because I didn't have brown sugar on hand. Still got rave reviews! Thanks.
Dan March 29, 2016
What a great idea I'm a diabetic and don't need all that sugar and I have been spying this recipe.
Thanks Sara