20 Minute Asian Beef Mince
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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