Korean Beef with Jasmine Rice

We like to mix up our menu and challenge ourselves with different flavor profiles. Our spice cabinet can attest to that! This Korean Beef bowl isn't difficult to put together, and gave us an intro into Korean flavors. We found this in a Pampered Chef cookbook. We didn't follow the recipe exactly, but close.

Here's what you'll need:

Marinade:

2 green onions with tops, divided (reserve a bit for garnishing)
2 garlic cloves, chopped (or pressed if you want)
3 Tbsp  soy sauce
1 Tbsp sesame oil

1 Tbsp (15ml) sugar
1 tsp vegetable oil

1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

1 lb skirt steak or flank steak (tried this with both cuts and we preferred the flank steak)

The Rest:
1 cup (250ML) uncooked jasmine rice
2 medium carrots
2 cups (500ml) bean sprouts

The Preparation:
This meal is perfect for two people to prepare in tandem. Zack threw the marinade together while I sliced the steak. For the marinade, all you have to do is throw all of those ingredients under "Marinade" together in a Ziploc bag. You'll need the gallon size to be safe.

Quick tip for slicing those green onions - Leave the knife in the block and grab your kitchen shears. They make quick work of the onions!

Slicing the meat up is easy, just takes some time. I always sharpen my knife before, because you want to try to get the beef as thin as you can. Be sure to go against the grain. Now, throw all that sliced beef in bag with the marinade and toss it in the fridge for a bit. Ours normally sits in there for about an hour.

The rice: If you're using jasmine rice, be sure to rinse it first. Now, here's the tough part... cook according to package instructions.

While the rice is doing its thing, grab your bag of marinated beef out of the fridge, but don't cook it yet. Just let it hang out while you peel some carrots and wash the bean sprouts. Set both sprouts and carrots aside for final prep.

Now, get your pan nice and hot (medium-high heat) with a little bit of vegetable oil. Don't go overboard on the oil, because the marinade is going to release some juices too. I normally use a 12" skillet to do this, and I grab my splash guard for the beginning, because sometimes the steak can pop at you.

You're ready to start the beef. We like to put each piece in individually with tongs. By the time you get the pan filled, you'll pretty much be ready to flip the first ones that went in. Since you cut the beef so thin, it takes almost no time to cook. Toss the beef around a bit and pull them from the heat.

About this time, your rice should be just about done. Fluff the rice up with a fork to see if it's ready. If so, mix the bean sprouts and rice together and place on the bottom of the bowl/plate. Add your beef strips and top with the pan drippings that you cooked them in. Then top with carrots and garnish with a few more green onions.