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a bowl of short-grain white rice with browned finely crumbled beef, browned zucchini half-moons and thin pink pickled radish slices, with sesame seeds mixed across the beef
Melissa Hart

Korean Ground Beef Bowls with Zucchini

Grated pear melts into the beef juices and gives this bowl a gentle sweetness without a sticky red chile sauce. Sear the zucchini separately so it keeps its shape instead of releasing water into the meat while the beef is trying to brown. Short-grain rice makes a soft, slightly clingy base, while quickly pickled radishes bring the crunch that would otherwise be missing from a bowl of warm food. This is a mild dinner, so it's a useful choice when you want ginger and sesame flavor without a hot spoonful of gochujang. Spoon the beef over the rice just before eating and keep the radish pickling liquid out of the bowl.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 cups short-grain white rice rinsed and drained
  • 1 3/4 cups water
  • 6 radishes thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp granulated sugar
  • 1/4 tsp fine salt
  • 1 small ripe pear peeled, cored and grated
  • 3 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tbsp neutral oil divided
  • 2 medium zucchini cut into 1/2-inch half-moons
  • 1 lb 90% lean ground beef
  • 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 2 tsp sesame seeds

Method
 

  1. Bring rice and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Cover, turn heat to low and cook for 18 minutes; remove from heat and rest covered for 10 minutes.
  2. Toss radishes with vinegar, sugar and salt and leave for 20 minutes while cooking. Mix pear, soy sauce, ginger and garlic in a separate bowl.
  3. Heat half the neutral oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook zucchini for 6 to 8 minutes, turning occasionally, until browned and tender; transfer to a plate.
  4. Heat the remaining oil in the skillet. Press beef into a thin layer, sear for 3 minutes and break into small crumbles; cook for 3 to 4 minutes more, until no pink remains and the beef reaches 160°F.
  5. Stir the pear mixture into the beef and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes until its excess liquid evaporates. Remove from heat and stir in sesame oil.
  6. Fluff rice and divide among four bowls. Add beef, zucchini and drained radishes, then scatter the measured sesame seeds over the beef.