Beef Rice Bowls with Sesame Cabbage Slaw

i know it's been a week, but how was your memorial day weekend? i went home (though this weekend was no different from the others; i've had 4 day weekends all of this quarter, but don't worry, i'll pay for it next quarter), and it was very chill. there were no churn ice cream pops that didn't want to come out of the popsicle molds: the popsicle sticks didn't want to stick to the rest of the ice cream. so those are currently lounging around in the freezer at home. there were smoothie bowls, which took extensive research. it's hard to see them in this picture, but those frosty blueberries didn't frost themselves, you know. there was white chocolate and strawberry cake, which i'll make again soon to streamline the process (it took me 3-4 hours...) before posting here. there were also aesthetic toasts, which will go up on my instagram someday.

and man, it felt like summer with all the couch lounging and aesthetic food making and dropping madeleine pans at 1am (my parents were thrilled with that last one). and summer makes me think of candy-sweet fruit and mountains of salads, which kind of leads into slaws. so, how about a cabbage slaw? placed into these beef rice bowls with sesame cabbage slaw?

these beef rice bowls with sesame cabbage slaw are perfect when you want a heap of veggies, or want to munch through some crunchy things. the cabbage adds a fresh crunch, the takuan (aka pickled radish) adds a pickly crunch, and the peanuts add a nutty crunch. i can also imagine how good this slaw would be with sauteed mushrooms, or pickled red onions, or roasted cashews, or orange segments, or etc etc. i really like vegetables and crave them, but even if you don't, we can pretend that we're both lusting after this cabbage slaw. and if pretending is too much for you to bear, might i suggest transforming this into lettuce wraps? take the beef and spoon it onto lettuce leaves, maybe with a hoisin-based dressing, maybe pickled carrot / daikon / cucumber, maybe some mint and basil leaves.

if you're more in a vegetarian mood, how about a chimichurri and butternut squash quinoa bowl or spicy pan-fried tofu rice bowl instead?

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Beef Rice Bowls with Sesame Cabbage Slaw

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

These beef rice bowls with sesame cabbage slaw are perfect for a quick weeknight dinner that pairs tender beef, chewy rice and crunchy slaw.

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Asian, Chinese

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 641 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 pound 85/15% ground beef
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1" knob ginger minced
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• ¼ cup green onions chopped
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Sesame Cabbage Slaw

• 1 head cabbage cored and shredded
• ½ takuan chopped (pickled radish)
• ¼ cup chopped green onions
• 1-2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• ⅓ cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• ⅓ cup roasted peanuts chopped

Instructions

1. In a medium pan over medium-high heat, saute the beef until browned and cooked through, breaking it up into small bits with a spatula or wooden spoon.
2. Add the onion, and saute until translucent. Add the garlic and ginger, and saute until fragrant. Add everything else, and mix until combined.

3. For the sesame cabbage slaw: Combine everything but the peanuts. Let sit for at least 1 hour, or until the cabbage is slightly softened. Longer is better here, and I'd recommend overnight if you have the time. Serve at room temperature, sprinkled with peanuts.

Recipe Notes

Adapted from Mary Kate and Nate Tate via Epicurious, January 2012.

You could definitely sub in crumbled firm tofu, ground chicken, ground turkey, etc for the beef! You'll need to use some oil when you saute the protein.