Pressure Cooker Korean Beef Bowl

Pressure Cooker Korean Beef Bowl

Korean beef bowls take pressure cooker hamburger and create Korean flavors both exotic yet provincial and familiar. The spices create a Korean beef and rice dish with a touch of heat but the hot balances nicely with some pickled vegetables. In terms of ease of preparation, a Korean beef bowl comes together in less than 30 minutes with the help of the Instant Pot. It is one of my new go-to bowls along with my carnitas rice bowl .

If you are like myself and you love rice bowls, then be sure to check out all of my other rice bowl recipes.

• carnitas rice bowl

An easy Korean beef bowl recipe

The great thing about pressure cooker hamburger recipes is how many different directions you can go. If you ever tried Korean food, then you know their cuisine does wonderful things with beef. With sesame oil, sriracha sauce, some ginger, and garlic, a simple pressure cooker hamburger recipe turns exotic and delicious.

Of course, when many people think of Korean food, they think of the spicy fermented vegetables collectively called “Kimchi”. The ripe fragrance of kimchi sometimes turns people off to trying Korean cuisine. But, kimchi occupies just one little corner of the universe of Korean food.

In fact, the are many other styles of pickled vegetables served with Korean food. So, even if you are not a kimchi fan, then still give this Korean beef and rice recipe a try. You may like it so much that you find yourself wanting to try kimchi too.

Pickled vegetables balance the heat

The Korean beef bowl provides some spicy heat, but the pickled vegetables balance the heat with coolness. In this case, you pickle the carrots and cucumbers together with a bit of sugar and rice vinegar. So easy!

Like so many dishes in all types of Asian cuisine, flavor is a matter of balance. Hot with cold. Sour with sweet. Bitter with salty. The pickled carrots and cucumbers cool the spiciness so you enjoy the heat without getting burned. The pickled veggies act like a cool breeze on a sunny day.

You still feel the warmth of the spice, but the cool pickled vegetables help avoid getting sweaty!

Is Korean food healthy?

Korean food tends to be very healthy. This Korean beef bowl recipe is low in fat since you use lean hamburger. The healthy fiber, anti-oxidants, and vitamins of the veggies add nutrition as well as flavor. You get enough carbs from the rice, but not too much.

So, the wonderful combination of high protein, low fat, and high fiber mean the diet conscious can enjoy big flavors without sacrificing diet plans.

What is sriracha sauce?

Sriracha sauce comes from a blend of chilis, vinegar, and garlic. It is most often associated with Thai cuisine, but possibly originated in Burma. At this point, you can find it in just about every grocery store, and it is handy for many recipes.

If you cannot find it, but need a good substitution, then there are a couple ways to go. For Korean beef bowls, I recommend seeking out “Gochujang” paste. It is similar to sriracha in terms of spiciness. However, it is thicker and more like a thick paste than a sauce. You can find it on the Asian aisle section of the market.

If you can’t find that, then even blending some ketchup with Tabasco and adding some finely chopped garlic does the trick too.

Do I have to use jasmine rice?

Jasmine rice possesses a wonderful fragrance and it is not as processed as typical white rice. So, the nutritional value is slightly higher than plain white rice. However, any white rice works as the base to set your beef and vegetables on top of. Just be sure to take into account that different types of rice cook at different rates.

While brown rice would be the most nutritional option, it cook time is almost double that of white rice. That leads to overcooked meat in the Instant Pot which isn’t ideal. Therefore, I stuck to Jasmine rice for this recipe.

What can I serve with a Korean beef bowl?

Here are some suggestions for things I think go well, either on the side or even added to the top of your beef bowl.

tzatziki dip – I know… this is Greek not Korean, but it makes a great sauce for the dish regardless

• Pink deviled egg
• light shrimp cocktail bites

More delicious recipes with Korean flavors!

Korean Spicy Stir-Fried Chicken and Vegetables

Traeger Korean Grilled Chicken Legs

Korean Steak Kabobs

Serving: 1 g | Calories: 414 kcal | Carbohydrates: 19 g | Protein: 36 g | Fat: 21 g | Saturated Fat: 6 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12 g | Cholesterol: 101 mg | Sodium: 881 mg | Fiber: 3 g | Sugar: 5 g