Korean Beef Bowl Gochujang (Printable)

Seasoned ground beef in spicy gochujang sauce served over rice with pickled vegetables, cucumber, radish, and kimchi.

# What you'll need:

→ For the Beef

01 - 1 lb lean ground beef
02 - 2 tbsp vegetable oil
03 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
05 - 3 tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)
06 - 2 tbsp soy sauce
07 - 1 tbsp brown sugar
08 - 1 tbsp rice vinegar
09 - 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
10 - 2 green onions, thinly sliced

→ For the Pickled Vegetables

11 - 1/2 cup carrot, julienned
12 - 1/2 cup daikon radish, julienned
13 - 1/2 cup rice vinegar
14 - 1 tbsp sugar
15 - 1/2 tsp salt

→ For Serving

16 - 4 cups cooked white rice or brown rice
17 - 1 cup cucumber, thinly sliced
18 - 1/2 cup radish, thinly sliced
19 - 1 cup kimchi, chopped
20 - 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

# How to make it:

01 - In a small bowl, combine rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Stir until dissolved. Add julienned carrot and daikon radish, mix well, and set aside to pickle while preparing remaining components.
02 - Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic and ginger, sauté for 1 minute until fragrant. Add ground beef and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned and cooked through approximately 5-6 minutes. Drain excess fat if necessary.
03 - Stir in gochujang, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and toasted sesame oil. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken and coat the beef evenly. Remove from heat and stir in half the sliced green onions.
04 - Divide cooked rice among 4 bowls. Top each with a generous portion of the seasoned beef mixture. Arrange pickled vegetables, cucumber slices, radish slices, and chopped kimchi around the beef. Garnish with remaining green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
05 - Serve immediately while the beef mixture is warm and the vegetables retain their crispness.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It comes together faster than takeout and tastes even better because you control the spice level and freshness.
  • The contrast of warm spiced beef against cool pickled vegetables and crisp cucumber creates this textural symphony that keeps things exciting in every bite.
  • One bowl feeds you completely—it's rice, protein, vegetables, and tang all in one place, which means less cleanup and more time for the things that matter.
02 -
  • Don't skip draining excess fat from the beef—I learned this the hard way when my first batch turned greasy, and it completely changed the texture and how the sauce coated everything.
  • Assemble your pickled vegetables at least 5 minutes before serving so they have time to soften and absorb the vinegar, which mellows the sharpness into something rounded and balanced.
  • The sesame seeds must be toasted, not raw—that's where the nutty flavor comes from, and it's the difference between a good bowl and one that tastes like it came from somewhere really special.
03 -
  • Toast your sesame seeds in a dry pan over medium heat for just 1 to 2 minutes, shaking constantly—they go from perfect to burnt in seconds, but that 30 seconds of extra attention transforms their flavor completely.
  • If your gochujang seems very thick, loosen it with a splash of water before stirring it into the beef, which helps it distribute evenly and prevents clumping.
  • Serve everything hot except the vegetables and cucumber—the temperature contrast is where the magic lives.
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