Cooking with Colm O'Gorman: Try this delicious Korean chilli beef rice bowl
I have never been a fan of cookbooks that promise recipes for meals that can be made in minutes. They never seem to quite live up to that boast, largely because they seem to be based upon the idea that you have done all your prep before the clock starts counting. It might take just thirty minutes to cook that meal once you have spent another thirty minutes chopping, washing, and preparing all your ingredients, but that thirty minutes of prep surely count too? I have been caught out like this too often – getting in from work and being seduced by the idea that I can make some fabulous dish in no time, only to find myself still cooking and getting increasingly hungry and annoyed up to an hour later.
Great meals can of course be made in short order. A nice piece of fish can be grilled, or pan-fried in minutes, the same goes for cooking a good steak. It takes minutes to throw together and dress a salad or to steam some vegetables and bake a potato in a microwave. The king of home-cooked fast food though must be the stir-fry; quick and tasty and easy to throw together in a wok.
My own wok is one of my most regularly used bits of kitchen equipment. I bought it in an Asian Supermarket about ten years ago, I cannot be doing with those non-stick Teflon type woks, instead, go for a traditional one. I seasoned mine well when I first got it, washing it, and then wiping it thoroughly with sesame oil before heating it over a high flame until the oil smoked. A good wipe with a dry cloth and it was ready for use. Over time it has developed a lovely patina, and I just rinse it with warm soapy water and a cloth after each time I cook before drying it over a flame and then putting it away.
This week’s recipe is a lovely stir-fry, using Korean flavours. It really can be made in about twenty minutes, and yes, that includes prep. I often make this for lunch when working from home these days, so I need something I can cook quickly as time is often short. This is a very healthy recipe, low in saturated fat, full of protein, with lots of fresh vegetables and fibre. I find brown rice works best with this dish, but you can use white rice if you prefer. If you cannot get hold of any Korean red pepper flake powder, you can use chilli flakes. Just adjust the quantity for spice level that you prefer. You can of course make this with different vegetables if you like. I often use whatever I happen to have to hand myself, but the combination I have given here is lovely. A fried egg is also a lovely addition to the top of this if you fancy one.
- 500g Irish Angus 5% fat minced beef
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 45ml honey
- 60ml soya sauce
- 1 ½ tsp Korean red pepper flake powder or chilli flakes
- ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 3 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 red pepper
- 1 corn on the cob
- 200g tender stem broccoli
- 200g sugar snap peas
- A handful of cashew nuts
- 450g brown rice
- 2 spring onions
- Sliced fresh red chilli
- Some fresh chopped coriander
Rinse the rice well. Put into a saucepan with 900ml cold water and some salt. Cover, bring to the boil, and then simmer until the water is absorbed, about ten to twelve minutes. Then remove the pan from the heat, take off the lid and let it stand for five minutes to allow any excess moisture to evaporate away.
While the rice is cooking, get on with the stir-fry. First, make your sauce. In a bowl, combine the soya sauce, garlic, ginger, red pepper powder or chilli flakes, black pepper, honey, and half of the toasted sesame oil.
Peel, halve and slice the onion. Wash and prepare the rest of the vegetable. Remove the stalk and seeds from the red pepper, then slice it. Cut the kernels away from the cob of corn. Chop the tender stem broccoli into pieces about three centimetres long. Keep the sugar snap peas whole.
Heat a wok over a high flame. Add the rest of the sesame oil. Reduce to a medium/high heat and toss in the sliced onion. Stir fry it for a few minutes until it starts to soften and brown a little. Now add the beef and keep stir-frying until it is well browned. Add the broccoli, stir fry for a minute or two, before adding the sugar snap peas and corn, again, stir frying all the time.
Add the red pepper and stir fry for another two minutes. Finally, add the sauce and a handful of cashew nuts. Coat everything well in the sauce, stir-frying for another two to three minutes to cook the ginger and garlic and develop all those gorgeous flavours.
Now plate up. This recipe makes four generous portions. Put quarter of the rice into each bowl. Add the spicy beef, and then finish with the spring onion, chopped coriander and some sliced fresh red chilli.
There you have it, a phenomenal, tasty, nutritious meal in about 20 minutes!
