These Asian ground beef rice bowls are fast, easy, and delicious! Top it with a sunny-side up egg and you've got a hearty meal, sure to bring comfort with every spoonful. Make this low-carb by using cauliflower rice! It's a humble dish with simple ingredients and is sure to become a favorite.
Ingredients
- Ground beef
- Onion
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Green onions
- Light soy sauce
- Oyster sauce
- Xiaoxing Chinese cooking wine
- Honey
- Tapioca starch (or cornstarch)
- Sesame oil
- White pepper
Instructions
Because this dish cooks up very quickly, it is important that your rice is already cooked before you start cooking the beef. Cook rice. Combine the oyster sauce, light soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine, honey, sesame oil, tapioca starch, and white pepper in a bowl or measuring cup. Stir well and set aside.
Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add 1-2 tablespoons of a neutral flavored oil and add the onions. Saute for about 1 minute until translucent.
Add the minced garlic and minced ginger. Stirfry with the onions and cook for about 1 minute until fragrant.
Add the ground beef and cook through, breaking up the beef with a spatula.
Add the sauce to the pan and mix it in with the beef.
Add the green onions and stir. Serve immediately over hot rice.
Commonly Asked Questions
Yes!
If you don't have Chinese cooking wine or can't find it, you can substitute it with dry sherry or mirin. If you use mirin, omit the honey from the recipe because mirin is sweeter than the cooking wine.
Yes.
Serving Suggestions
An optional but delicious way to enjoy this dish is to top the beef and rice with a crispy fried sunny-side up egg. The runny yolk mixed in with the beef and rice makes a very yummy combination!
Garnish the beef and rice with more chopped green onion, sesame seeds, or fried shallots. I really like topping mine with a spoonful of chili crisp, but a drizzle of hot sauce like sriracha or Korean gochujang sauce is also tasty! The spice adds another tasty layer to this simple dish!
Serve it with a bowl Super Simple Egg Drop Soup, blanched Chinese leafy greens, or try it with Cold Spicy Cucumber Bites.
For a lower carb meal, swap out the rice for cauliflower rice! You can also serve it over a bed of cooked green beans and serve it as side dish.
More Rice Recipes
If you like rice bowl meals, take a look at these delicious recipes!
I love how quick and easy this dish is to make. It uses the simplest ingredients and makes for a delicious and comforting meal that you could whip up any night of the week. This humble dish can also easily be taken up a notch by adding a crispy fried egg and chili crisp. It's sure to become a recipe on rotation in your house!
~ Lisa.
Recipe
Asian Ground Beef Rice Bowls
Ingredients
- 500 g ground beef (just over 1 lb.)
- ½ medium onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
- 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons Chinese cooking wine
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- ¾ teaspoon tapioca starch
- ¼ cup chopped green onion
- Fried eggs (optional)
Optional Garnishes:
- Sesame seeds
- Chopped green onions
- Fried garlic or shallots
- Chili crisp
Equipment
Instructions
- Cook rice.
- In bowl or measuring cup, combine oyster sauce, soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine, honey, sesame oil, white pepper, and tapioca starch. Mix well and set aside.
- In a large frying pan over high heat, add 2 tablespoons neutral flavored oil and fry onion to soften, about 1 minute.
- Add the minced garlic and ginger to the pan and fry with the onions, about 1 minute.
- Add ground beef to the pan and cook through, breaking up the meat as you fry.
- Once meat is cooked, add sauce to the frying pan and mix.
- Turn off the heat and add the chopped green onions.
- Divide meat and scoop meat over hot rice in a bowl. Top with a fried egg, if desired.
- Garnish with more chopped green onions. Serve immediately.
Notes
- For a lower carb meal, serve the beef over cauliflower rice or a bed of a cooked green beans.
- Tapioca starch can be substituted with cornstarch.
- Use tamari or liquid aminos to substitute the light soy sauce for gluten-free.
- Substitute the Chinese cooking wine with mirin or chicken broth, or omit completely.
- If substituting mirin for the Chinese cooking wine, omit the honey in the recipe.
- If you top your dish with an egg, I like making my egg crispy fried sunny-side up, but you can top it with a poached, over-easy, or even a soft-boiled egg.
- Garnish extra chopped green onions, sesame seeds, or fried shallots.
- Add some spice by serving the dish with chili oil, chili crisp, or chili sauce.
**This post was originally published January 20th, 2020 and republished November 13th, 2023 with an updated recipe, new photos, and new writing.
Tracey Godfrey says
Made this yesterday and loved it. Quick and easy recipe but so delicious. I love Asian flavours anyway and will make this again. Might try pork or chicken mince also as my daughter prefers pork. Made a few of Lisa's recipes and have been happy with them all
Thanks so much for making the recipe, Tracey! So glad you liked it!
Sabrina says
Oooh, I love this recipe! I’m always looking for new ways to use ground meat and I just love these Asian flavours. A great family friendly dinner, thanks!
Thanks, Sabrina! Let me know if you give it a try!
Elaine says
Super delicious and a great recipe to use with ground chicken instead of beef! Thanks, Lisa!
Yes! Thanks for pointing that out, Elaine! This recipe also works with ground chicken or pork!
Colleen says
This bowl looks delicious and a perfect weeknight meal. I love having a new idea for ground beef. This is going on the menu for next week's meal plan. Thanks, Lisa!
Thanks, Colleen! I hope you like it! It's one of our favorites!