20-Minute Beef Bulgogi Bowl

Ingredients

• 350 g beef sirloin or ribeye, very thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 x 250g pouch microwave rice
• 0.5 cucumber, sliced
• 1 thumb-sized piece ginger, grated
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp soft brown sugar
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 80 g frozen edamame, defrosted
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
• 1 tbsp gochujang, to serve
• kimchi, to serve
• pickled daikon, to serve

Method

1. Whisk the soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, mirin, garlic and ginger together in a bowl. Add the sliced beef and toss until every strip is glossy — the sugar and soy will start drawing colour into the meat almost immediately. Leave to marinate for at least 5 minutes while you prep the toppings.
2. Ping the rice per packet instructions and tip into two warm bowls. Season the rice with a pinch of salt — plain rice under a salty glaze still needs its own seasoning to hold its own.
3. Heat a wok or large frying pan over the highest heat your hob will give you, then add the vegetable oil and let it shimmer — you want it almost smoking before the beef hits.
4. Cook the beef in two batches, 1–2 minutes per batch, tossing quickly until the edges catch and caramelise. Don't crowd the pan: all at once and the marinade pools, water comes out, and you've boiled the beef instead of searing it. The garlic in the marinade will go from raw to fragrant in seconds — keep it moving so it turns pale gold, not bitter.
5. Once the second batch is nearly done, splash any leftover marinade into the hot pan and let it bubble and reduce for 20–30 seconds until glossy and sticky, then toss the beef back through so each strip wears a proper glaze rather than a dry coat. Taste a strip — most of the salt comes from the soy, but adjust now with a pinch more if it needs it. Don't season at the table.
6. Pile the bulgogi onto the rice, then arrange the edamame and cucumber alongside in neat sections so every spoonful is a different combination.
7. Scatter over the spring onions and toasted sesame seeds, spoon a fiery streak of gochujang down one side, and tuck in the kimchi and pickled daikon to finish.