Sticky Korean BBQ Beef with Smashed Cucumber Salad

Name: Sticky Korean BBQ Beef with Smashed Cucumber Salad
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 3 servings
Ingredients: 500g Beef Mince, 5% Fat; 100g Mushrooms; 1/2 Onion, Large; 1 Red Pepper; 1 tsp Garlic Powder; 1 tsp Ground Ginger; 1/2 tsp Chilli Powder; 2 tbsp Olive Oil; 3 tbsp Gochujang Paste; 2 tbsp Sesame Oil; 1 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar; 1 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce; 1 tsp Chilli Flakes; 1 tbsp Brown Sugar; 2 tbsp Sesame Seeds; 1 Cucumber; 1/2 Red Onion; 2 Spring Onions; 1 tbsp Brown Sugar; 1 tsp Chilli Flakes; 1 1/2 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar; 1 tbsp Sesame Oil; 1 tsp Light Soy Sauce; 250g Rice, Uncooked

Sticky Korean-style beef mince is cooked with mushrooms, onion, red pepper, and a savoury-sweet gochujang glaze until rich, glossy, and caramelised. It’s served with steamed rice and a sharp smashed cucumber salad for a fresh, crunchy contrast. The whole dish is packed with smoky heat, sesame, and tangy umami flavour.

Sticky Korean-style beef mince is cooked with mushrooms, onion, red pepper, and a savoury-sweet gochujang glaze until rich, glossy... Show more

By Bill | Food In Five · Original recipe

Health Grade

C+ · Balanced

Time

40 min

Price

2,13 €

Calories

1114 kcal

high protein

low sugar

comfort food

global

Method

Preheat the oven

Preheat the oven to 200° C so it is fully hot by the time the beef is ready to finish. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and make sure you have a large ovenproof pan ready for later.

Cook the rice

Cook the Rice (Uncooked) according to the packet instructions so it is ready to serve with the sticky beef. Once cooked, keep it covered and warm so it stays fluffy while you finish everything else.

Prep the vegetables

Finely chop the Mushrooms, Onion (Large), and Red Pepper so they cook down quickly and blend into the beef. Thickly slice the Cucumber, then lightly smash each piece with the side of a knife or a rolling pin until it splits and cracks slightly. Thinly slice the Red Onion and finely slice the Spring Onions, keeping them ready for the salad.

Soften the vegetables

Heat a little Olive Oil in a large ovenproof pan over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring, until it starts to soften. Add the mushrooms and red pepper, then cook for 4-5 minutes more until the vegetables are tender and most of the moisture from the mushrooms has cooked away.

Brown and season beef

Add the Beef Mince (5% Fat) to the pan and break it up well with a wooden spoon or spatula. Cook until browned all over, then stir in the Garlic Powder, Ground Ginger, Chilli Powder, a pinch of Chilli Flakes, Brown Sugar, Gochujang Paste, Sesame Oil, Rice Wine Vinegar, Dark Soy Sauce, and Sesame Seeds. Mix thoroughly so the beef and vegetables are evenly coated in the sauce and spices.

Bake until sticky

Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes. Stir the beef once halfway through so the edges do not catch too much. Take the pan out, give everything another good stir, then return it to the oven for 5-8 minutes more until the sauce looks sticky, glossy, and slightly caramelised around the beef.

Dress the salad

While the beef finishes in the oven, combine the smashed cucumber, sliced red onion, and spring onions in a bowl. Add more Brown Sugar, more Chilli Flakes, more Rice Wine Vinegar, more Sesame Oil, and Light Soy Sauce, then toss well so everything is evenly coated and lightly glossy.

Let salad sit

Leave the cucumber salad to sit for 5 minutes so the cucumber softens slightly and the sweet-sour dressing soaks into the cracks and cut surfaces.

Serve and finish

Spoon the cooked rice into bowls, then top with the sticky Korean BBQ beef. Serve the smashed cucumber salad alongside, spooning over any dressing left in the bowl. Finish with any extra sauce from the beef pan over the rice and beef, and scatter over a few more sesame seeds if you like.

Ingredients

Method

For 3 servings

Adjust servings

For The Kbbq Beef

500g Beef Mince, 5% Fat
100g Mushrooms
1/2 Onion, Large
1 Red Pepper
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Ground Ginger
1/2 tsp Chilli Powder
2 tbsp Olive Oil

For The Marinade

For The Cucumber Salad

To Serve

250g Rice, Uncooked

🧂 Plus ~3g of salt

Nutrition

Per Serving.

Calories

1114 kcal

56% of Daily kcal

Protein

55 g

100% RDI

Fat

55 g

15g sat fat

Carbs

98 g

36% RDI

Sugar

19 g

39% RDI

Fiber

5.9 g

20% RDI

Salt

5.9 g

100% RDI

Quality Profile

Scored against dietary guidelines.
Tap rows for a deeper breakdown.

Composite score - weighted by current nutrition science

C+ · 6.4 / 10

What others say

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grillmaster_dave

8 days ago

The flavour profile was great, but 1114 calories per serving is quite a lot for a weeknight dinner. Also, the cook time for the beef was a bit off for me, took a little longer in the oven than suggested to get that sticky texture.