Sticky Korean Beef Mince & Rice: A 20-Minute Friday Favourite

Some meals earn a permanent spot in the weekly rotation, and this is one of them. Sticky, savoury, just the right amount of sweet and spicy, this Korean-inspired beef mince comes together in the time it takes to cook a pot of rice – making it the kind of dinner you can pull off on even the busiest weeknight, without sacrificing an ounce of flavour.

Built on the classic Korean flavour trio of soy sauce, sesame oil and gochujang (Korean chilli paste), this dish takes humble beef mince and turns it into something genuinely craveable. Serve it over steamed rice with a fried egg on top and a scattering of spring onion and sesame seeds, and you’ve got a meal that feels far more special than its short ingredient list and even shorter cooking time would suggest.

Sticky Korean Beef Mince & Rice

Serves 4 | Prep: 10 minutes | Cook: 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the beef:

1 tablespoon vegetable or sesame oil
500g beef mince
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
3 spring onions, sliced (whites and greens separated)
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon gochujang (Korean chilli paste), or to taste
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil, extra
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

To serve

Steamed jasmine or short-grain rice
4 fried eggs (optional, but highly recommended)
Sesame seeds, for sprinkling
Extra sliced spring onion (green parts)
Kimchi, to serve (optional)

Method

Cook your rice according to packet instructions, timing it so it’s ready around the same time as the beef.

Heat the vegetable or sesame oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add the beef mince, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, and cook for 5–6 minutes until browned and cooked through.

Add the garlic, ginger and the white parts of the spring onion to the pan, stirring through the beef for 1 minute until fragrant.

In a small bowl or jug, whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, gochujang, rice wine vinegar, extra sesame oil and black pepper.

Pour the sauce over the beef and stir well to coat. Reduce the heat slightly and let it simmer for 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced and become thick and sticky, clinging to the mince.

While the beef finishes cooking, fry your eggs in a separate pan to your liking (a runny yolk works beautifully here).

Divide the rice between bowls, top with the sticky beef mince, and finish with a fried egg, a sprinkle of sesame seeds, the reserved green spring onion, and a side of kimchi if you like a bit of tang.

Tips

If you can’t find gochujang, sriracha or another chilli paste will work in a pinch, though the flavour will be less complex – start with less and adjust to taste, as chilli pastes vary significantly in heat.

For extra veggies, stir through a handful of baby spinach or shredded carrot in the last minute of cooking, or serve alongside a quick cucumber salad dressed with rice vinegar and sesame oil.

This dish keeps well in the fridge for 2–3 days, making it a great one to double up and have on hand for lunches during the week.