Hearty Beef Lunch Bowl (Printable View)
Tender beef and fresh vegetables with a savory sauce served over steamed rice for lunch.
# 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 - 1½ cups jasmine or basmati rice
06 - 2½ 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 (optional)
# How to Make It:
01 - Rinse rice under cold water until clear. Combine rice, water, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer 12–15 minutes until absorbed. Remove from heat, let stand covered for 5 minutes.
02 - Toss beef slices with 1 tbsp soy sauce and cornstarch until evenly coated.
03 - Whisk together soy sauce, oyster sauce, honey, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and rice vinegar in a small bowl. Set aside.
04 - Heat vegetable oil in large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add beef in a single layer and sear 2–3 minutes until browned but still tender. Remove and set aside.
05 - In the same skillet, add carrot, bell pepper, and sugar snap peas. Stir-fry 2–3 minutes until crisp-tender.
06 - Return beef to skillet, add sauce, and toss 1–2 minutes until heated through and evenly coated.
07 - Fluff cooked rice and divide evenly among 4 bowls. Top with beef and vegetable mixture.
08 - Top bowls with cucumber slices, spring onions, toasted sesame seeds, and coriander if desired. Serve immediately.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- It comes together in under 40 minutes, making it perfect for weeknight dinners when you want something that tastes like you spent hours cooking.
- The beef stays tender and the vegetables keep their snap, creating layers of texture that make each bite interesting.
- You can customize every element based on what's in your kitchen or what you're craving that day.
02 -
- The beef slices must go into a hot pan in a single layer without crowding, otherwise they steam instead of sear and lose their texture.
- Add your vegetables in stages based on cook time, saving the quickest-cooking ones like snap peas for near the end so nothing gets mushy.
- The sauce should smell incredible once you add it to the hot pan, if it smells burnt or flat you may have had the heat too high and should lower it slightly for future batches.
03 -
- Buy your beef already partially frozen if your market offers it, because it slices more easily and evenly than room temperature meat.
- Toast your own sesame seeds in a dry pan for two minutes if you have whole seeds on hand, the aroma and taste difference is remarkable.