Say goodbye to boring beef mince recipes….. these Asian Beef Bowls are super tasty, super easy and SUPER fast! Made with just a handful of staple Asian condiments, the ground beef can be switched with chicken, pork or even turkey.
Also, don’t miss the popular noodle version of this recipe – Asian Beef Ramen Noodles!
Super quick beef mince recipe!
This one is for all those nights when you peer into your fridge, find a packet of beef mince and are completely uninspired to make Spag Bol – yet again.
This is also one for all those nights when you’ve been baking, filming and photographing recipes all day, and you swear you don’t have the energy to make anything for dinner but your mother brain washed you so well, you feel guilty for even thinking about picking up the phone to order home delivery.
Oh wait. Is that just me? 😂
This is not a traditional Chinese or other Asian recipe, hence the obscure name “Asian Beef Bowls”.
However, if you have ever made a Chinese stir fry – or in fact, any Chinese recipe – you will likely instantly recognise all the ingredients in the sauce. No Western ingredients. This is made with 100% authentic Asian ingredients. And when you take the first bite, it will be so familiar to you.
Because the sauce is so similar to many stir fries, yet an exact replica of none!
Here’s what you need
And here’s how easy it is to make:
What to serve on the side
Serve this over rice or, for a healthy low carb option, Cauliflower Rice (77% fewer calories and 87% less carbs than rice).
For a side salad, here are a few suggestions.
Side Salads to accompany this dish
I love this recipe because it’s made with beef mince (ground beef) i.e. no meat slicing. Asian recipes made with beef mince aren’t that common, but there are a handful of terrific ones and they are worth knowing for the convenience of being able to make a quick meal when you’ve got a packet of mince on hand. Here’s a handful of my favourites:
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Japanese Pork and Green Bean Stir Fry <<– On my mother’s website, RecipeTin Japan
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Larb Gai (Thai Lettuce Wraps) and San Choy Bau (Chinese Lettuce Wraps)
Unlike most stir fries, this one doesn’t come with a ton of sauce. But it’s juicy and the beef has a ton of flavour in it so when it’s all mixed up with the rice, you certainly won’t feel like you’re missing sauce. Promise! ~ Nagi x ❤️
Watch how to make it
“Wow! Can’t believe something that was so quick to do was also so tasty.”
– Jacqui, January 2019
“This would have to be the tastiest easiest mince dish I have ever cooked in 15 minutes.”
– Wendy, 10 May 2017
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Asian Beef Bowls
Ingredients
Sauce:
- 1 tbsp Hoisin Sauce (or sub with Oyster)
- 2 tbsp Oyster Sauce (or sub with 1 1/2 tbsp Hoisin)
- 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (or Mirin, dry sherry, sake or any rice wine) (Note 1)
- 2 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce (Note 2)
- 2 tsp white sugar
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/4 tsp white pepper (or sub with black)
Stir Fry:
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 500 g /1 lb beef mince (ground beef) (lean is good)
- 1/2 cup shallots / scallions , sliced, plus more for garnish
Garnishes:
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Mix Sauce together in a bowl
- Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for 1 minute or until onion starts browning.
- Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go.
- Once the beef has all changed from red to brown, add Sauce. Cook for a further 2 minutes, or until Sauce has evaporated and beef is cooked. If you want the beef cooked more, add a splash of water and keep cooking (I don't do this).
- Stir through shallots, then serve over rice, garnished with more shallots and sesame seeds, if desired. Or for a low carb, low cal option, try Cauliflower Rice!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published May 2017, updated with new video, new photos, step photos, refreshed writing, and latest and greatest in Life of Dozer!
More quick 15 minute Asian meals
-
Quick Asian Beef RAMEN Noodles and Chicken Vegetable Ramen Noodles – 15 minutes, made in one pot
-
Chinese Chicken and Corn Soup with Egg Ribbons – so simple, this will blow your mind…
-
Pork Stir Fry with Green Beans – flavour packed!
-
Egg Fried Rice – it all comes down to the sauce…
Life of Dozer
Project Manager Dozer, reporting for duty!!!
I meant to give this FIVE STARS. Yes, I meant to shout that.
I made this as written a couple of times and could never get four servings. Maybe two and a bite sized snack. It’s just so good that I couldn’t stop eating it. So I solved the problem. I now make a quarter recipe at a time. It’s a little more work, but not too much since this is such a fast and easy recipe. Delicious portion control at work. Thanks for the great recipe Nagi! I still make it mostly as written, but I will confess to adding extra scallions because I like them so much.
My tip: since I live alone I freeze the ground/mince beef in 1/4 pound portions. I shape them roughly as patties so four of them stack in a quart freezer bag. If I decide to make a recipe requiring a full pound I just use four “patties”.
Love love love this recipe! Only thing I added was fresh chilli!
I add chilli often too Nour!
Yum! Super quick and easy. One of the few things my picky toddler will eat…thank goodness for you and your wonderful recipes Nagi!
Is dark soy sauce the same as tamari? Thanks!
Hi Shelly, no dark soy tastes richer and deeper in colour, Tamara is Japanese and is gluten free. N x
Great way to cook up mince -and so easy. We ate it with low carb (bean) noodles and steamed greens! So delicious – thanks X
Perfect Vivienne! N x
I have made this a few times now and it really is my go-to mince recipe when I am tired but want something delicious for dinner. I always throw a few handfuls of frozen peas in too for some colour and texture.
a must try recipe
do you think I could use flank steak in this and it not get tough.
Hi Sandi, this one is better using mince sorry – N x
Hi Nagi! Thank you for sharing your recipe. I am a noob cook from Singapore. The dish turned out delicious and enjoyed by everyone. It is so simple to follow too, with all ingredients commonly found in Asian homes.
Next time, I am going to add other veggies like what others have suggested in this post. I am so encouraged to cook more, thank you for sharing such a wonderful easy recipe 🙂
It’s such a versatile dish – great with added veggies!! N x
Thankyou for the recipe. Turned out great and everyone enjoyed it. My local store didn’t have dark soy so used kecap manis instead And omitted the sugar. And added a little Chinese five spice powder which was a really nice touch. Served with steamed broccoli. Two of the kids said they actually prefer it to Bolognese which they love. Will definitely do this again.
Made this yesterday! Easy to make and perfect for weeknights. I added sunny side up to go with it. Delicious! Xx from Malaysia
YUM! I often add an egg too – the perfect topper! N x
I am so happy with the flavour I am suprised I did not even think of adding an egg.
Nagi, your winning streak continues- another home run! I so much appreciate all the work you put in to these recipes, it really helps rookie cooks like myself gain confidence… thank you!
Forgot to rate this- 5 star!!
Super tasty meal. I added capsicum, snow peas and celery just so we had some veggies. Will make it again.
Yum! Sounds like a great combo Gaye ❤️
I have made this six or more times now and it is about time I thanked you Nagi. I add veggies, whatever I have, last night it was carrots, peas, broccoli. The balance of flavour is extraordinary. The best savoury mince meal i ever had. It is firmly on weekly rotation, and I am so amazed its so easy.
Thanks so much for this delicious recipe. So quick as well, couldn’t believe it because it is so tasty! Added veggies on the side.
Perfect Francene, I’m so glad you loved it! N x
I’ve made this several times… We all love it. At what point should I add some veggies? I’ve just been adding it towards the end.
Hi Rachel, I tend to add them after I’ve browned the beef before adding the sauce 🙂 N x
Winning! Cheap, easy, fast AND tasty!!!
WOOT! Exactly Tamara! N x
I made this the other night with the addition of 2 chopped red chillies in it to give it a bit of heat. This was super quick to make and the family absolutely loved. Thanks Nagi!
Perfect Shivaunne!!! N x
Fast and easy and very tasty!
Didn’t have much in the house but was still able to make this, missing only the shallots and hoi sin (subbed in Jimmy’s sate). It was delicious and will go into our rotation. Thanks Nagi!
I LOVE Jimmy’s!!! N x
Jimmy’s is amazing. Has been a meal saver many a time haha
Forgot to rate it, definitely deserves 5 stars!
I didn’t have much time to cook up anything when I came across this recipe. It was fantastic served with iceberg lettuce (Like lettuce wraps), along with Asian buffet style green beans on the side. I subbed rice vinegar for the alcohol. I look forward to trying other recipes of yours! Thank you!