What is the difference between Korean beef and normal beef?

"Hanwoo has a very attractive flavor; it's not as beefy and lean as American steaks tend to be, nor as fatty as wagyu ," says Keung. "When people describe that 'beef' flavor, that's what you think of when eating a lean meat. Hanwoo has that great beef flavor, but there are unique flavors in an animal's fat too.

What to serve with Korean beef?

What to Serve with Korean Ground Beef. We like to serve this delicious Korean ground beef over cooked white rice . It would also be great with some Asian noodles like ramen, udon, rice noodles or chow mein noodles. A side of steamed broccoli, sauteed snap peas, or grilled asparagus would all work great.

How do Koreans get their meat so tender?

Popular Korean food blogger Maangchi uses pureed pear in her recipe for beef bulgogi, and I've seen recipes using pear juice or shredded apple too. For the simplest application, mash or slice fruit and spread over thin cuts of meat and leave for a few hours before grilling .

Why is Korean beef so expensive?

“There are no big corporations in the business, which means it's mostly smaller-scale livestock farmers who incur a lot of labour costs raising the cattle ,” Hwang says. “Hong Kong is a wealthy city where meat prices are high and people can afford Hanwoo, so exporting here makes economic sense.”

Why is Korean beef so good?

Hanwoo cattle are known for their tender meat and rich flavor, which is attributed to the animal's diet of grass and grains. The Korean government has implemented strict regulations to ensure the quality of Hanwoo beef, including a grading system based on marbling, color, and texture.

What is special about Korean beef?

Despite its high price, Hanwoo beef is preferred in Korean cuisine, as it is typically fresher and of better quality than cheaper imported substitutes. Kim et al. (2001) noted, "Hanwoo is regarded as a premium beef because of its high palatability and desired chewiness ".

Why is Korean beef so popular?

Mainly for the quality , which puts it in the same league as wagyu, and also demand, which far outstrips supply. Unlike Japan, there is less land in South Korea available for rearing indigenous cattle, which are also smaller than their famous counterparts.

Why is Korean beef different?

It is a breed of cattle that is native to Korea and is known for its high quality and flavor. Hanwoo beef is leaner than other types of beef and has less cholesterol and saturated fat .

Why does Korean beef taste different?

A Wagyu ribeye has roughly 70% fat, whereas Hanwoo ribeye has anywhere from 40% to 50% fat, with the remainder being protein. This unique fat-to-protein ratio of the it gives it a distinct taste as the fat on Hanwoo is just enough to not overpower the taste of beef itself .

Why is beef so special in Korea?

Meat is often a symbol of social status in Korea . Those who can will eat meat. It's a sign of abundance, and meats such as Korea-reared ground beef and steak are considered to be in the top tier.

Korean Beef Bowl - Khin's Kitchen - Asian Ground Beef Recipes (2024)

Jump to Recipe

Easy Korean Beef Bowl Recipe, which is perfect for busy weeknights, you need a bowl of steamed rice to complete the dish. A superfast one-pan Asian rice bowl that sweet, spicy, savoury flavour comes together in one dish!

Korean Beef Bowl - Khin's Kitchen - Asian Ground Beef Recipes (1)

Getting bored of regular ground beef dishes? It's time to try this Korean-style flavourful beef mince recipe. It takes no time to prepare and very versatile. You can try it with any ground meat or vegetables left in your fridge. Perfect for the days you are craving a comforting bowl of rice.

If I have very little time to prepare for family dinner I make usually make this quick type of quick ground meat stir fries. I love making recipes with ground beef as it is very nutritious, easy to cook, less time consuming, and budget-friendly.

This dish is one of our favourite beef recipes and it's always on our recipe rotation. Super fast, easy, and incredibly delicious. Here is more of our viewers favourite easy ground beef recipes you might love to try:

Mongolian Ground Beef
Chilli Pepper Beef
Ground Beef Curry

Korean Beef Bowl - Khin's Kitchen - Asian Ground Beef Recipes (2)

How To Make Korean Beef Bowl

Prepare the stir fry sauce

Most of the sauce ingredients are pantry friendly and you can easily find them in supermarkets and Asian grocery stores. Here is a few ingredients you will need: light soy sauce, mirin, gochujang, sesame oil, and sugar.

What is Gochujang?

Gochujang is a fermented Korean chilli pepper paste, which is widely used in Korean cooking. You can add in marinade and sauces. It has a deep red colour and taste bold spicy, sweet, salty, rich umami flavour.

Any substitute for Gochujang? One of the most frequently asked questions on our website. There is no exact same substitute for Gochujang chilli paste. But Thai Sriracha chilli sauce is an alternative you can try.

Here is my Quick Fix Gochujang Recipe you can try out: For 1 tablespoon of Gochujang paste substitution, mix 1 tablespoon of paprika/cayenne powder, ½ teaspoon of light soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon of sugar syrup or honey. Mix well and make it into a paste. The taste won't be exactly same as a unique fermented taste like Gochujang. This quick chilli paste can bring a spicy, sweet, and smokey chilli flavour to your dish.

Mirin

Mirin is a cooking rice wine, widely used in Japanese cooking, marinade, and sauces. It is very low in alcohol content and can tenderize the meat and bring more subtle sweet umami flavour to the dish.

If you wish to make it a non-alcohol or halal mirin version, you can mix sugar syrup/honey + rice vinegar/water. ( ratio is½ + ½ ).

Prepare the vegetables

As this is a quick stir fry dish, it cooks in a matter of minutes. I use onions, spring onions and chilli pepper in this recipe. Carrot, bell pepper, mushrooms, dry shiitake, or bamboo shoots goes well too. You can swap with any of your favourite stir fry vegetables and make it your own style beef bowl.

Korean Beef Bowl - Khin's Kitchen - Asian Ground Beef Recipes (3)

Ground Meat

We usually use lean ground beef ( beef mince ) for this recipe. If you are not a beef fan, you can try with chicken, turkey, lamb or any ground meat you wish. Or any tender meat slices or dices goes well too.

Can I make it vegetarian? Yes you can swap the ground beef with tofu or vegetarian mincemeat like Quorn.

Korean Beef Bowl - Khin's Kitchen - Asian Ground Beef Recipes (4)

Cookware

You can use a traditional Chinese wok, non-stick wok, skillet, or pan for this recipe. Just make sure to fry with a large pan or wok on high-heat to give enough heat to the beef.

For meal prep and making ahead

If you are serving a crowd, you can easily double the amount of this recipe. You can make it one day ahead, keep it cool in the fridge with the air-tight container. It lasts in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. Reheat on the stove or microwave until piping hot just before serving.

Korean Beef Bowl - Khin's Kitchen - Asian Ground Beef Recipes (5)

How to enjoy this dish

This dish is best served over freshly cooked hot rice, like other stir-fries. Before you even notice, you'll be on your second bowl of rice! Although we serve it with plain rice, it's also great with Egg Fried Rice or Fried Noodles.

If you enjoy our recipe, please leave a comment and give us a rating! If you’ve tried this recipe, tag me on social media, I would love to see your creations! Follow me on social media Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for the latest updates.

Korean Beef Bowl - Khin's Kitchen - Asian Ground Beef Recipes (6)

We love Korean recipes and here is more of our family's favourite Korean dishes :

Spicy Korean Chicken
Korean Fried Chicken Wings
Spicy Korean Beef

📖 Recipe

Korean Beef Bowl

Easy Korean Beef Bowl recipe with ground beef, onions, spring onion, chillies and spicy, sweet and savoury stir fry sauce. Serve over rice to make a perfect weeknight dinner. Ready in 20 minutes!

4.97 from 57 votes

Ingredients

▢ 10 oz Ground beef ( about 280- 300 gram )
▢ ½ Onion ( large sweet onion ) cut small dices
▢ 1 tbsp Garlic grated
▢ 3 Spring onions cut thin slices
▢ 1 Red chilli thin slices
▢ Salt to taste
▢ ¼ tsp Black pepper
▢ 1 tbsp Toasted sesame seeds
▢ 2 tbsp Vegetable oil ( Sunflower, canola, peanut or vegetable oil )

Stir Fry Sauce

▢ 2 tbsp Light soy sauce
▢ 1 tbsp Mirin see details in note
▢ 1 tbsp Gochujang see details in note
▢ 1 tsp Sesame oil
▢ 1 tbsp Sugar

Instructions

In a small mixing bowl, add soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, mirin, and gochujang. Mix well until sugar and gochujang well dissolved. Set aside.
Prepare the vegetables by finely chop the garlic, cut the onion into small dices, thinly slice the spring onions and red chilli.
Heat the wok/pan over medium-high heat, drizzle 2 tablespoon of vegetable oil, add the onion dices and stir fry until slightly tender. Follow with the chopped garlic and stir for few seconds.
Add the ground beef and stir fry for 3-4 minutes, until almost no longer pink.
Whisk and pour the sauce over the meat and toss everything quick to combine evenly.
Add the chilli slices and spring onions in and continue stir for another 1 minute.
Turn off heat and sprinkle toasted sesame seeds.
Transfer to serving plate and serve immediately.
Serve over hot steamed rice and make it a dinner rice bowl. Topped with extra chopped spring onions and toasted sesame seeds.

Notes

Mirin - is a Japanese rice cooking wine. You can swap with dry sherry, sweet marsala wine, or Chinese Shao Xing cooking rice wine. If you want to make it a non-alcohol version, you can avoid it or substitute it with a splash of rice vinegar and a dash of sugar.
Gochujang - is a Korean fermented chilli pepper paste. It's ideal to add in Korean recipes. There is no exact same substitute for Gochujang paste but you can try with other chilli sauces like Thai Sriracha sauce for a spicy flavour.

Nutrition

Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @KhinsKitchen or tag #KhinsKitchen!