Korean Beef Rice Bowl (6 P+)

Asian food makes me happy.  But I don't eat it very often because the Americanized restaurant kind is really not that healthy and making it at home can take a ton of prep work.  I am not a fast food chopper.  The sharp knives make me very nervous.  It's a neurosis I inherited from my mother.  She has this compulsive need to announce it in a loud voice everytime she has a knife just to make sure that she doesn't accidentally stab someone.

"Knife in my hand!"  (In the kitchen prepping food)

"Turning around with a knife!"  (Moving from the counter to the sink to clean the knife)

"Coming down the hall with a knife!"  (Chasing me for making fun of her knife paranoia)

Okay, the last one was a joke...

Maybe. 

Sorry...where was I?

Right.  My lack of Asian food.  I have decided, however, to make this on a regular basis now that I have discovered it. 

Jaden Hair is a food blooger (www.steamykitchen.com/) who also recently came out with a cookbook called The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook.  I have not tried any of the recipes yet, but I stumbled onto this little nugget of joy on her blog last week and immediately put it on the menu plan.  I was not disappointed.  It's flavorful and fast, and I like it so much I'm thinking about adding it to the Hall of Fame.  The Hall of Fame needs some beef!

Here's the link to the recipe and lots of grogeous pictures on the Steamy Kitchen blog:  Korean Beef Rice Bowl

And here it is for you just in case the linked webpage moves or something tragic like that.  I copied this directly from the blog, so if the links below don't work you might go to the source and see if things work from there.  Unless the above mentioned tragedy occurs and then I guess you're out of luck.

PS...I doubled the sauce.  Yum!

Korean Beef Rice Bowl

2 cups raw rice
1 pound beef
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cooking oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks (or 1 cup matchstick cut carrots)
1 small zucchini, diced
2 handfuls of spinach leaves
1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds

1. Cook the rice according to package instructions. See How to Cook Perfect Rice recipe on Steamy Kitchen. If using basmati, see this recipe.

2. For the beef, if using flank steak: Cut the steak into very thin slices ACROSS the grain. If using other steak: Cut the steak into very small cubes, about 1/2-inch. If using ground beef: leave as-is.

3. In a large bowl, combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic and brown sugar. Add the beef and toss to coat. Let marinate while you prep the vegetables. Steps 1 and 2 can be done ahead of time up to 1 day before.

4. Heat a large saute pan or wok on medium heat. When hot, swirl in the oil. Add the onions and saute for 1 minute. Turn the heat to high and give it just a few seconds to heat up. Add in the beef, spreading the beef all over the surface of the pan, tossing with the onions. Saute for 2-3 minutes until just barely pink.

5. Add in the carrots, zucchini and toss. Cook for 1 minute. Toss in the spinach and cook for an additional minute. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with rice.

Enjoy!

Makes 4 servings
6 Weight Watchers Points per serving