Beef Lunch Bowl (Print)
Tender beef strips with fresh vegetables and savory sauce served over steaming jasmine rice.
# Ingredient list:
→ Beef
01 - 14 oz beef sirloin or flank steak, thinly sliced
02 - 1 tbsp soy sauce
03 - 1 tbsp cornstarch
04 - 1 tbsp vegetable oil
→ Rice
05 - 1 ½ cups jasmine or basmati rice
06 - 2 ½ cups water
07 - ½ tsp salt
→ Vegetables
08 - 1 medium carrot, julienned
09 - 1 red bell pepper, sliced
10 - 3.5 oz sugar snap peas, trimmed
11 - 1 small cucumber, sliced
12 - 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
→ Sauce
13 - 2 tbsp soy sauce
14 - 1 tbsp oyster sauce
15 - 1 tbsp honey
16 - 1 tsp sesame oil
17 - 1 garlic clove, minced
18 - 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
19 - 1 tbsp rice vinegar
→ Garnish
20 - 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
21 - Fresh coriander leaves
# Directions:
01 - Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear. Combine rice, water, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 12–15 minutes until the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.
02 - While the rice cooks, toss the beef slices with 1 tbsp soy sauce and cornstarch.
03 - In a small bowl, whisk together all sauce ingredients: soy sauce, oyster sauce, honey, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and rice vinegar. Set aside.
04 - Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add beef in a single layer and sear for 2–3 minutes until browned but still tender. Remove beef from the pan and set aside.
05 - In the same pan, add carrots, bell pepper, and sugar snap peas. Stir-fry for 2–3 minutes until just tender but still crisp.
06 - Return beef to the pan, add the sauce, and toss everything together for 1–2 minutes until heated through and well-coated.
07 - Fluff the cooked rice and divide it among four bowls. Top each with beef and vegetable mixture.
08 - Garnish with cucumber slices, spring onions, toasted sesame seeds, and fresh coriander if desired. Serve immediately.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- It tastes restaurant-quality but comes together in under 40 minutes, which means you can actually make it on a weeknight.
- The sauce coats everything with this perfect savory-sweet-tangy balance that makes even simple vegetables taste incredible.
- Leftovers stay delicious the next day, and you can pack it cold or reheat it without anything falling apart.
02 -
- Don't skip rinsing the rice unless you like gluey, clumpy results, and don't lift the lid while it's cooking because the steam is doing the actual work.
- The beef continues cooking a little after you remove it from the pan, so pull it out when it's still slightly underdone in the thickest part.
- Slice your vegetables while the rice is cooking so everything comes together at the same time and nothing gets cold.
- Room temperature beef is harder to cook evenly than cold beef, so keep it in the fridge until just before cooking.
03 -
- Mise en place is your friend here, because once you start cooking, everything happens fast and you don't want to be scrambling for ingredients.
- If the sauce seems too thick, thin it out with a splash of water rather than adding more of any single ingredient, which keeps the balance intact.