Here's a recipe with maximum flavor for minimum time in the kitchen. A quick stir fry of ground beef is the centerpiece of this flavor-packed Thai beef rice bowl, ready in 20 minutes.
I love the whole rice bowl concept: a well-composed assortment of wonderful ingredients - a mini personal smorgasbord - all tucked into one little bowl.
Some of my favorite rice bowl recipes, like my salmon teriyaki bowl and my bibimbap bowls, take some time and effort to prepare. They're totally worth it! But it's also great to have this quick and easy beef bowl in the repertoire, with a fried egg as the final crowning touch. Everyday ingredients, easily transformed into an exciting Thai meal.
If you can't find bok choy or it's not your thing, this recipe also works well with Napa cabbage, spinach or kale.
How to make this Thai Beef Rice Bowl
If you have leftover rice on hand, this meal comes together in 20 minutes, all in one pan.
- Make the Sauce: Whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl: Sugar, Thai Chile Paste, fish sauce, soy sauce, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Stir-fry the Ground Beef: Heat oil in a large heavy skillet or wok and cook the beef over high heat until it's no longer pink, 2 minutes or so. Add the sauce to the pan and cook for 30-40 seconds more. Transfer the meat mixture to a bowl and tent with foil to keep warm.
- Stir-fry the bok choy for 2 minutes or so and add it to the bowl with the beef.
- Fry the eggs in the same pan.
- Serve: Heat the rice, divide it between four bowls, and top with ground beef, bok choy and a fried egg. If you want more heat, add a splash of Sriracha.
If you're a fan of flavor-packed quick and easy meals, you'll love these recipes too:
- Cuban Picadillo (ground beef stew with tomatoes and olives)
- Quick Turkey Ragu (Delicious meat sauce made with ground turkey)
- Chinese Orange Chicken (As tasty as takeout but healthier)
Here's the Thai Beef Rice Bowl recipe. If you try this, I hope you'll come back and leave a star rating and a comment. I'd love to know what you think.
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Quick Thai Beef Rice Bowl Recipe
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
An easy, flavorful Thai beef and rice bowl with stir fried ground beef, brown or white rice, sautéed greens and a fried egg.
Adapted from a recipe in Cooking Light
Ingredients
- 2 ½ teaspoons sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoons Thai chile paste (I like the Thai Kitchen Roasted Chili Paste)
- 2 ½ teaspoons Thai fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (low-salt is fine)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 medium cloves)
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (reduce to ½ teaspoon if you prefer less heat)
- 2 tablespoons canola or grape seed oil, divided
- 12 ounces ground beef
- 3 small baby bok choy, cut lengthwise into quarters (cabbage, kale or spinach can be substituted)
- Salt
- 4 large eggs
- 2 ½ cups cooked brown or white rice, reheated
Optional Garnish
- Sriracha hot sauce
Instructions
- Make the rice ahead of time or reheat 2 ½ cups of leftover rice.
- Whisk the sauce ingredients in a small bowl: Sugar (2 ½ teaspoons), Thai Chile Paste (2 ½ teaspoons), fish sauce (2 ½ teaspoons), soy sauce (1 tablespoon), garlic (1 tablespoon) and crushed red pepper flakes (1 teaspoon)
- Heat a large cast-iron skillet or wok over high heat. Add oil (2 teaspoons) and swirl to coat. Add the ground beef to pan and stir-fry 2 minutes or until beef is no longer pink.
- At this point I like to briefly remove the pan from the heat, tilt it, and spoon out some of the rendered fat. This step is optional.
- Add the sauce to the pan, stir-fry for 30-40 seconds, transfer to a bowl, and tent with foil to keep warm.
- Add 1 ½ teaspoons oil to the pan and turn heat high. Add the bok choy and stir-fry 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Season with a pinch or two of salt and place in the bowl with beef.
- Wipe pan clean with a paper towel. Heat remaining oil (2 ½ teaspoons) in the pan over medium heat; swirl to coat. Crack the eggs, 1 at a time, into the pan; cook 2 minutes. Cover pan, and cook 1 minute longer or until the whites are set and eggs are cooked to your liking.
- Divide the rice, beef, and bok choy among 4 bowls. Top each bowl with a fried egg. Season eggs with a little salt. Serve immediately, garnished with Sriracha, if you like.
Notes
Substitutions for Bok Choy: My favorites substitutions in this dish are Napa cabbage, spinach and kale. Choose about 1 cup of kale or cabbage per person and note that these will take a bit longer to cook than baby bok choy. Spinach cooks extremely fast and shrinks a lot, so you'll need more like 4 cups (3-4 ounces) per person.
[This post first appeared on Panning The Globe in March 2015. It was updated in April 2020 with new added nutritional information, clarifying details in the written post and clearer instructions in the recipe.]
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: stir fry
- Cuisine: Thai
Theresa Gilmore
Amazing!!
Sue
I googled recipes with bok choy and ground beef because I had both to use in my fridge. I didn't have Thai chili paste or Thai fish sauce. I did have Fly by Jing Sichuan Chili Crisp and oyster sauce so I substituted with those. Followed the rest of the recipe...OMG...this was soooo good!! The fried egg on top, magical. Lisa, thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Nadine
Really easy and delicious. I had Thai red curry paste so used that instead of Thai chili paste which I did not have. Wonderful flavor. Will definitely make again!