Original video by @EthanChlebowski — all credit to the creator.
Ground Meat & Rice Bowls Three Ways: Burger Bowl, Gochujang Chicken Stir-Fry Bowl, and Spicy Cumin Lamb Bowl
Three ground meat and rice bowls, each a step up from the last. The first is a pantry burger bowl, the second a spicy gochujang chicken stir-fry, and the third a cumin lamb bowl over golden yellow rice with a crunchy cucumber-tomato salad and creamy toppings.
Ingredients
Level 1: No-Grocery-Run Burger Bowl
- 1/2 lbfrozen ground beef (93/7) · two quarter-pound portions broken off a flat-frozen, pre-scored bag
- 3 servingsjasmine rice · uncooked; about 1.5 servings cooked rice used per bowl
- —water · about 1.25 parts water to 1 part rice
- 10 gKewpie mayo
- 10 gmustard
- 10 gketchup
- —smoked paprika · a big sprinkle
- —salt
- 10 cranksblack pepper
- 1 big handfulsweet and spicy pickles · chopped
- —sesame seeds · for garnish
Level 2: Gochujang Chicken Stir-Fry Bowl
- —ground chicken
- —oil · a little for the wok, plus about 5 g more for the aromatics
- —salt
- —Thai bird's eye chilies · thinly sliced
- 1shallot · thinly sliced
- 10 ggochujang
- 10 glight soy sauce
- 5 gdark soy sauce
- 15 grice wine vinegar
- —cooked rice · leftover rice works
- 10 gKewpie mayo · for drizzling
- —scallions · thinly sliced
- —pickled ginger
Level 3: Cucumber Tomato Salad
- —cherry tomatoes · quartered
- —red onion · thinly sliced into half moons
- —fresh parsley · finely chopped
- —Persian cucumbers · cut into chunks
- —salt
- —sumac
- 10 golive oil
- 10 gvinegar
Level 3: Yellow Rice
- 4 servingswhite rice · uncooked
- 1 spoonfulchicken bouillon powder
- —turmeric · a little
- —dried oregano
- 1-2whole cloves
- —water · about 1.25 parts water to 1 part rice
Level 3: Spicy Cumin Lamb and Toppings
- —ground lamb
- 1 % by weightsalt · 1% of the lamb's weight
- —Aleppo pepper · a nice sprinkle
- —cumin seeds · a generous sprinkle
- —plain Greek yogurt · a dollop
- —sheep's milk feta · a sprinkle
Steps
- 1
Level 1: To freeze the beef, press the ground beef flat to the edges of a gallon freezer bag, squeeze out the air, and score it into quarter-pound sections so you can break off portions later.
- 2
Add the jasmine rice to a rice cooker with water at about a 1:1.25 ratio and start cooking.
- 3
For the burger sauce, mix the Kewpie mayo, mustard, ketchup, and smoked paprika.
- 4
Heat a pan until ripping hot (at least 400°F). Break off two frozen beef portions, add them straight to the pan, and season with salt and black pepper.
- 5
Leave the beef alone until the edges shrink and the bottom forms a crust. Then flip it and break it into smaller pieces.
- 6
Top about 1.5 servings of rice with the beef. Drizzle with the burger sauce and finish with chopped pickles and sesame seeds.
- 7
Level 2: Thinly slice the Thai chilies and shallot. Mix the gochujang, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and rice wine vinegar to make the stir-fry sauce.
- 8
Heat a little oil in a wok and add the ground chicken with a little salt. Press it into a layer and leave it for about 3 minutes to brown, then flip and break it up.
- 9
Once the chicken is cooked through, add about 5 g more oil with the shallots and chilies. Cook for 1-2 minutes until softened and fragrant, then mix everything together.
- 10
Pour in the sauce and let it simmer about 30 seconds. Toss until the sauce reduces slightly and coats the meat.
- 11
Serve over rice with a drizzle of Kewpie mayo, sliced scallions, and pickled ginger.
- 12
Level 3: For the salad, toss the quartered cherry tomatoes, red onion, parsley, and cucumber chunks with salt, sumac, olive oil, and vinegar. Cover, shake to mix, and refrigerate.
- 13
For the yellow rice, add the white rice to a rice cooker with the bouillon powder, turmeric, oregano, cloves, and about 1.25 parts water. Stir and cook.
- 14
Heat a cast iron pan until ripping hot. Add the ground lamb and press it down. Season with 1% salt by weight, Aleppo pepper, and cumin seeds.
- 15
Leave the lamb for about 4 minutes to brown, then break it up. Blot off excess fat with a paper towel and cook another 1-2 minutes until browned.
- 16
Put the yellow rice in a bowl with the spiced lamb on top and reheat if made ahead. Top with the cucumber tomato salad, Greek yogurt, and feta.
Creator's notes
Each level is a framework you can mix and match. Level 1 uses frozen ground meat, a pantry rice, a store-bought sauce, and a pickle. Level 2 uses ground meat, fresh aromatics, a stir-fry sauce, and a garnish. Level 3 uses a seasoned rice, ground meat, a spice mix, a vegetable, and something creamy. Per-bowl numbers given in the video: Level 1 is about 688 calories and 50 g protein, Level 2 about 760 calories and 44 g protein, and Level 3 about 623 calories and 40 g protein.
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