These budget friendly Asian beef mince bowls are made with a handful of basic ingredients and are ready to eat in less than 20 minutes. Beef mince is sautéed with garlic, ginger and spices, then simmered with soy sauce, sugar and vinegar to create a simple minced beef recipe that is delicious with rice, noodles, or piled into wraps! It is salty, spicy and the perfect quick comfort food!
Some days a quick and simple dinner is required and, like my quick hoisin beef noodles, this beef mince stir fry fits the bill. With a touch of sweetness from brown sugar balanced with a little vinegar; warming Chinese 5 spice and ground cinnamon add extra depth of flavory to this simple beef mince recipe. This isn’t a saucy dish, the sauce coats the beef in flavour and adds enough moisture to make the beef juicy and delicious, but without dripping in sauce. (If you love these flavours and have a little more time, this Asian beef stew is a delicious comforting dinner!)
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Ingredient notes and substitutions
Please scroll down to the recipe card at the end of the post for ingredient quantities.
- Olive oil – or a neutral oil like sunflower or vegetable oil.
- Minced Beef – aka ground beef. I recommended using lean beef mince for this recipe, then you don’t have to drain the fat.
- Garlic – fresh garlic, minced, or 2 teaspoons jarred minced garlic.
- Ginger – this adds a warming taste. Use fresh ginger or 1 teaspoon finely chopped / minced prepared ginger. Don’t use ground ginger, it will add a completely different taste.
- Spring onions – aka green onions. These add a fresh onion taste and are quicker to cook than regular onions to make this a super quick dinner!
- Red pepper flakes – for a hint of heat. If you want a spicy beef stir fry, add more red pepper flakes or use 1 red chilli, sliced in half. I tested with this and it was delicious, but a little too spicy with younger testers even though they like spice!
- Chinese 5 spice – this warming spice is used in Chinese cuisine and adds a depth of flavour to the sauce. Substitute with ¼ teaspoon ground star anise or use 1 fresh star anise.
- Ground cinnamon – along with the Chinese 5 spice, this adds a warm fragrance to the beef.
- Soy sauce – I use regular soy sauce; however, you can use low sodium if you prefer. Soy sauce adds a salty unami flavour.
- Stock / water – If using stock, I recommend using a low-salt (low-sodium) stock or homemade stock to avoid making the dish super salty.
- Brown sugar – this adds a hint of sweetness to the sauce.
- Rice vinegar – for a touch of acidity and gives the beef that slightly sweet-sour flavour.
How to make this beef stir fry from scratch
Please scroll down to the recipe card at the end of the post for the full recipe.
- Fry the beef mince in the oil, breaking it up with a spatula, until browned.
- Add the garlic, ginger and chilli flakes and cook for a minute before adding the dried spices. This helps release the flavour of the spices.
- Add the chopped spring onions, sugar, vinegar soy sauce and stock or water.
- Simmer gently until the sauce has reduced and the beef is cooked.
FAQ
Can I make these bowls with different meat?
Absolutely! Minced (ground) turkey or pork would be delicious!
Is this gluten free?
This isn’t gluten free but can easily be made gluten free. Swap out the soy sauce for tamari.
What is Chinese 5 spice?
Chinese 5 spice is a spice blend that typically includes star anise, cloves, cinnamon, fennel seeds and sometimes Sichuan peppercorns. It is sweet, bitter, with a slight warming heat.
My recipe tips
- Use a large skillet or pan to allow the ground beef to cook evenly.
- Drain the minced beef after browning, if needed.
- Let the dry spices fry for 30 seconds before adding the sauce to allow them to release their flavour.
- The sauce isn’t a thick sauce, it is there to add flavour to the beef rather than be dominant.
- A little goes a long way with Chinese 5 spice, so taste before adding more!
Serving Ideas
- Serve with rice (I recommend jasmine rice) or brown rice, or cauliflower rice for a low carb option.
- It is also delicious with noodles, such as udon or ramen noodles.
- Spoon over quinoa or pile into a wrap (or lettuce wrap).
- Broccoli is especially delicious with the beef mince (as seen here), or serve with steamed spinach or Asian greens
Make ahead/storage
- Fridge: Store any leftovers in the fridge in a covered container for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in a saucepan over a low heat, adding a splash of water / stock if it looks dry.
- Freezer: freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Variations
- Vegetables – add a diced red bell pepper for crunch and colour, finely chop a handful of mushrooms, or steam some broccoli or pak choy and stir through the beef at the end.
- Extra heat – add more chilli flakes, top with sliced fresh chillies or quick pickled chillies, or drizzle over a little sriracha sauce.
Why not try…
You may also like these other recipes using beef mince:
20 Minute Asian Beef Mince
Author: Robyn
Have dinner on the table in 20 minutes with these easy Asian beef bowls. Minced beef is stir fried with spices and soy sauce to create a quick family dinner from basic ingredients that kids love!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 500g (1 lb) minced beef
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2½ cm (1 inch) fresh ginger finely grated
- Pinch chilli flakes
- ½ teaspoon Chinese 5 spice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 spring onions / green onions finely sliced
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 120ml (½ c) vegetable stock or water (see notes below recipe)
To Serve
- cooked rice or noodles
- 1-2 spring onions / green onions finely sliced
- chilli flakes optional
- steamed or boiled broccoli florets, Asian greens or broccolini
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet / pan over a high heat and cook the beef for 5-7 minutes, breaking up with a spatula, until browned.
- Drain any fat, if needed.
- Add the minced garlic, ginger and chilli flakes and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the Chinese 5 spice and ground cinnamon and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Add in the chopped spring onions, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce and stock / water and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium and simmer gently for 3-5 minutes, uncovered, until the sauce has reduced slightly and the beef is cooked.
- Serve immediately over rice or noodles, with a side of steamed broccoli, sprinkled with sliced green onions and chilli flakes.
Notes
Nutritional information on Asian beef mince only, not including rice or noodles.
- Stock / water – If using stock, I recommend using a low-salt (low-sodium) stock or homemade stock to avoid making the dish super salty.
- Olive oil – or a neutral oil like sunflower or vegetable oil.
- Minced Beef – aka ground beef. I recommended using lean beef mince for this recipe, then you don’t have to drain the fat.
- Garlic – fresh garlic, minced, or 2 teaspoons jarred minced garlic.
- Ginger – this adds a warming taste. Use fresh ginger or 1 teaspoon finely chopped / minced prepared ginger. Don’t use ground ginger, it will add a completely different taste.
- Spring onions – aka green onions. These add a fresh onion taste and are quicker to cook than regular onions to make this a super quick dinner!
- Red pepper flakes – for a hint of heat. If you want a spicy beef stir fry, add more red pepper flakes or use 1 red chilli, sliced in half. I tested with this and it was delicious, but a little too spicy with younger testers even though they like spice!
- Chinese 5 spice – this warming spice is used in Chinese cuisine and adds a depth of flavour to the sauce. Substitute with ¼ teaspoon ground star anise or use 1 fresh star anise.
- Ground cinnamon – along with the Chinese 5 spice, this adds a warm fragrance to the beef.
- Soy sauce – I use regular soy sauce; however, you can use low sodium if you prefer. Soy sauce adds a salty unami flavour.
- Brown sugar – this adds a hint of sweetness to the sauce.
- Rice vinegar – for a touch of acidity and gives the beef that slightly sweet-sour flavour.
- Use a large skillet or pan to allow the ground beef to cook evenly.
- Drain the minced beef after browning, if needed.
- Let the dry spices fry for 30 seconds before adding the sauce to allow them to release their flavour.
- The sauce isn’t a thick sauce, it is there to add flavour to the beef rather than be dominant.
- A little goes a long way with Chinese 5 spice, so taste before adding more!
Nutrition
Calories: 373kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 23gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 2gCholesterol: 89mgSodium: 466mgPotassium: 405mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 122IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 43mgIron: 3mg
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