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30 Minute Korean Beef and Peppers with Sesame Rice. Oh my gosh…this is the BEST! Stir fried sweet, spicy, and tangy Korean beef, with garden fresh bell peppers, basil, and green onions, all served over toasted sesame rice. It’s colorful, super quick, so delicious, and possibly the best recipe you’ll make this week. Trust me, this is good, and everyone loves it!
Happiest Monday everyone! Hoping you all had a great weekend and are enjoying these late summer August days. My brother Kai (who is HBH’s video producer) and I spent the weekend filming some new video content and working away pretty much all Saturday and Sunday. Thankfully, I was able to take a little me time on Sunday to prepare for my week away. As I mentioned in yesterday’s Favorite’s post, I’m off to LA today for some photoshoots and meetings. Looking forward to some LA heat and sunshine, because I know when I return home at the end of the week, fall will very much be settling in around (no issues here). I always, always stress the day leading up to a trip away, but always have the best time away. Work trips like this keep me energized and inspired, so I’m exited for the time away!
Anyway, that’s a quick two second recap of what’s happening, but let’s move along and talk about this easy Korean beef that’s perfect for busy nights, back to school family dinners, and really everything in between.
My little sister Asher has her first day back at school this Thursday, and while I’m not personally a parent, I know that back to school time is so crazy busy for everyone. Between adjusting to new schedules, making lunches, after school activities, and parent teacher conferences, life goes from lazy and laid back, to hectic and go, go, go.
And for those of us who are not heading back to school, or don’t have kids, life still gets busier come the end of summer and I think we can all appreciate a good 30 minute dinner.
I mean, right? Yes, or course.
It’s really no secret that I love a good Korean meal, especially after experiencing them first hand in Korea this past winter. They’re sweet, spicy, tangy, a little salty, and all things really good.
Here are the details.
The sauce is a simple mix up of soy sauce, honey, Korean chile paste, ginger, and garlic. Traditionally a Korean based sauce has wheat flour, sugar (or corn syrup), vinegar, and spices, but I really wanted not only to simplify things, but healthify them as well. This Korean beef still has all the great flavors of most Korean dishes, it’s just simpler and much less sugary.
Cool. Cool.
Start off by making the sauce, then stir fry the bell peppers and zucchini, add the steak, add the sauce, stir it all up and you’re done. Simple, quick and easy.
I wanted to use up all the peppers we have growing in the garden, so those were the obvious choice for my veggies, but feel free to use a mix of veggies you love most or have on hand. I also knew that basil had to be included, because I’m literally up to my ears in fresh basil right now. And that’s no exaggeration, we have so much basil.
And yes, I know that some of these ingredients are not traditional Korean ingredients, but the the flavors are inspired by Korea, so go with me on this…
In addition to the Korean beef and peppers, I also cooked up a simple batch of toasted sesame rice. It’s completely up to you if you’d like to make this, but it is really good, and the perfect side dish for this saucy Korean beef. OK and fine, you guys know I love a good meat and rice bowl situation. I can’t help it, sometimes you have to fall back on the things you know and love.
If you wanted to make this even healthier, try swapping white rice for brown rice or quinoa, either would be so good!
And that is it! Simple, quick, easy, and delish. Perfect for any night of the week, but especially a busy Monday night.
Enjoy!
If you make this 30 minute Korean Beef and Peppers, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love hearing from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every one of you. And of course, if you do make this dish, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram so I can see! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Watch the How To Video:
30 Minute Korean Beef and Peppers with Sesame Rice
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 704 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1-2 tablespoons Gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, plus more for serving
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, sesame oil, or peanut oil
- 3 bell peppers, sliced
- 1 zucchini, chopped
- 1 1/2 pounds skirt or flank steak, thinly slice against the grain
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
Toasted Sesame Rice
- 1 cup uncooked jasmine rice
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- 1. To make the sauce. In a glass measuring cup or jar, combine the soy sauce, honey, Gochujang (Korean chile paste), ginger, garlic and sesame oil. 2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the peppers and zucchini. Cook 5 minutes or until the veggies are soft and tender, remove from skillet to a plate.3. Return the skillet to high heat and add another tablespoon of oil. Add the steak and cook, undisturbed for 2-3 minutes. Stir and cook, undisturbed for another 2-3 minutes. Pour in the sauce and bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and cook until the sauce thickens and begins to coat the steak, about 5 minutes. Add the peppers, zucchini, and green onions, cook 1 minute and then remove from the heat. Stir in the basil.4. Divide the rice among bowls and spoon the beef and peppers overtop. Top with fresh basil and green onions. Eat!
Toasted Sesame Rice
- 1. Add 2 cups water to a medium pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the rice and sesame oil. Stir to combine and then place the lid on the pot and turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible. Allow the rice to cook ten minutes on low and then turn the heat off completely. Let the rice sit, covered, for another 15 minutes (don't take any peeks inside!). 2. Remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. Stir in 1-2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds.
This was delicious – the sauce was so good! Instead of the rice we used riced cauliflower. I had the leftovers for lunch the next day and threw in some sautéed mushrooms which worked well with all the flavors. We would definitely make this again. Thanks for another great recipe!
Hey Bridget,
Thanks a lot for giving the recipe a try, I am delighted that the recipe was enjoyed! Happy Sunday! xTieghan
Loved the taste and very easy to make! Found it a bit challenging to thicken the sauce though. Remained a bit watery over here.
Hey Roman,
I am so glad you have enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for making it! Have a great week! xTieghan
Yumyum
Amazing thanks
Hey Rose,
I am thrilled that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Happy 4th of July!?? xTieghan
I love that you, or someone from your team, responds to every comment, I really do. But I find it a little patronizing that your recipes don’t work and you ask me how you can help me. You can help me by having recipes that work. I went to culinary school. I’ve worked professionally, so if your sauce doesn’t have any acid in it or your food is under seasoned (meaning kosher salt) and I take my time to try and help you improve, because I do want to help you, you’re young, you’re not professionally trained, you don’t seem to have any professional cooking experience, you’re a home cook who takes really pretty pictures, but the food doesn’t taste as good as it looks, then I would expect a different reply than YOU helping ME. I would expect a thanks that I am helping you.
Hey Corey,
Sorry I am not really sure what you are referring to. Is there a recipe you are having trouble with? No, I am not professionally trained, but I take pride in the fact that I have worked really hard to get to where I am and produce recipes that people really do love. If there is something I can help you with please let me know as your message is unclear. I hope you have a fantastic weekend! xTieghan
Imagine being this cringe.
You critique her “patronization” of you with…patronizing her yourself?
Get a clue, bud. Why are you looking up recipes on someone’s blog when you are professionally trained from “culinary school”? I get that dinner for one gets really sad and lonely after a while and that you crave attention but you should go get that from a therapist. Better yet, please see a psychiatrist you absolute loon.
I have made several of your recipes and I have loved every one of them. If he went to culinary school then he should be making his own dishes. You keep posting recipes and I’ll keep enjoying them.
Thanks so much Tiffany!!
Wow you are so rude. This recipe turned out absolutely delicious for me.
Hey Samantha,
Awesome! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
Wow, I used low sodium soy sauce, but this sauce was still way too salty. I added several teaspoons of lime juice and 1 tsp of white vinegar to balance it out and make it palatable. If I try this sauce again I may try it with only a third cup of soy sauce and then see if or how much acid it needs then. But again, thanks for the inspiration.
Hey Corey,
So sorry you found this recipe to be too salty, let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
Hi! I made this tonight for my family and we loved it! Delicious flavors—no leftovers!! Thank you 🙂 xx
Hey Cari,
I am so glad the recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
In the ingredients list you say to toast 1/4 cup of sesame seeds, but then it says to only add 1-2 tbsps to the rice. Am I missing a step, or why am I making extra toasted sesame seeds?
Hey Tina,
I like to have leftover sesame seeds to garnish my dishes with. I hope you love the recipe. let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I don’t have hoisin sauce. Can you recommend a substitute for hoisin sauce or a recipe to make my own?
Hey Lisa,
Here is my recipes for homemade hoisin: in a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce, 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter, 2 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon molasses, 1 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice powder, and a pinch of black pepper.
I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Super delicious, quick and easy to make! I’ll definitely be adding this into my regular meal rotation.
Thank you so much Christina! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Can I use regular sesame oil instead of toasted? I can’t find it anywhere!
Hey Tayler,
Yes that is totally fine to do. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I love your recipes. Seems like every time I see something on Pinterest I want to try it’s from your blog! I made a completely modified version of this dish but it was really good and got a thumbs up from all and the real test- no left overs! Instead of beef, I sautéd chicken breast seasoned with a little garlic, salt and pepper in sesame oil. Then I baked two blocks of extra form tofu, cubed and seasoned the same. Baked on 400 on parchment paper till brown and crisp. Made the sauce on the side (too many picky eaters) and served it with udon noodles, cooked and then sautéed in sesame oil, soy, ginger and garlic. Served with green beans sautéed in butter with shallots, garlic, ginger and soy. Served with toasted sesame seeds. Tasted like a healthy version of Chinese takeout. Thanks for the idea!
Aw that is so awesome to hear! I am so happy you enjoyed this one, Lisa! And I hope you continue to enjoy my recipes! xTieghan
We loved it! This recipe was actually really easy to make, the 30 minutes is no lie. The sauce was very flavorful. I only used 1T of the Gochujang (Korean chili paste) as I don’t love spicy. I wasn’t able to get the sauce to thicken though and was worried about over cooking the steak. So i added 2T of corn starch, worked perfectly. We will 100% make this dish again.
I made this for dinner tonight and my whole family loved it. DELICIOUS! So flavorful.
Thank you so much Laura! That is so amazing to hear! xTieghan
This is very good. I only used 1/2 C soy sauce as I thought it would be too much. Turned out great!
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you Kathleen! xTieghan
This turned out awesome! Just had the leftovers as tacos for lunch. Great for a weeknight. Super easy and requires very little prep. Could easily be transformed into a traditional stir fry with carrots, broccoli, etc. Might try that next time.
Ooo yes! So glad this turned out so well for you Lindy! Thank you! xTieghan
I made this the other night and my husband absolutely raved over it. The flavors were just fantastic! Thank you For this recipe.
Thank you Janie! So glad you loved this! xTieghan