So I made these bowls for the blog like 3 weeks ago(ish), and I have no joke been craving them almost every day since. That’s not even an exaggeration. I am ACTUALLY OBSESSED. This beef is so easy to make, it simmers away in your crock pot all day, and then when it’s time for dinner, you have delicious, melt-in-your-mouth tender meat that has THE most delicious Korean flavor.
I’m telling you guys, it is out of this world good. And then there’s the rice.
We cook the rice (I LOVE using my Instant Pot for this – best rice ever IMO), fluff it, and then stir in an entire can of coconut milk and a whole bunch of cilantro.
It’s moist, it’s almost rich, and it is so, so, soooooo flavorful. I was honestly going to make a blog post out of the rice alone – I had the pictures in their own album and everything, but I decided to combine the two because they just NEED to go together.
NEED, I TELL YOU.
This is one of those staples that you could add to your monthly/weekly rotation. You could meal prep it and pop it in the freezer and then thaw and cook whenever you’re ready.
It’s just good FOR ALL THE REASONS.
It uses a cheap cut of beef and the rest of the ingredients are inexpensive, so it’s also a great budget meal.
I mean…I should probs stop rambling on about how great it is and just let you run to the grocery store and grab the stuff to make it right now, right? Cool. Done. Byeeee.
Crock Pot Korean Beef Bowls
Super simple dinner that simmers away in your crock pot all day! Could easily be prepped and frozen and then thawed and cooked whenever you’re ready.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Total Time: 6 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 7 servings 1x
Ingredients
For the Korean beef
- 1 pear, peeled, cored and roughly diced (I like to use bosc)
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 inch knob of ginger
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 1/2 – 3 pound chuck roast, diced into fist sized chunks
For the coconut cilantro rice
- 3 cups jasmine rice
- 3 cups water
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
Extra toppings:
- More chopped cilantro
- Sliced green onions
- Maybe some spicy mayo if you want to get funky ;)
Instructions
For the Korean beef
- Add all the ingredients except for the beef into the blender and blend until smooth
- Add the beef to your crock pot and then add the blended mixture on top of the beef. Stir to combine and then cook on low for 6 hours
- When done, remove the meat and shred (I discard the liquid remaining in the crock pot because it’s mostly fat)
For the coconut cilantro rice (if making in the Instant Pot)
- Add the rice, water, and coconut oil to your Instant Pot and season liberally with salt. Stir to combine
- Cook on manual high pressure for 5 minutes with a 10 minute natural release
- Quick release the rest of the pressure, remove the lid, fluff the rice with a fork, and stir in your coconut milk and cilantro. Season to taste with salt
To assemble
- Add your rice, then your beef, and then top with sliced green onions and cilantro
Notes
If you’re making your rice using a rice cooker or regular pot, cook according to package instructions and then add the coconut milk and cilantro in at the end.
This recipe makes a TON of rice because I love having some left over (feel free to half the recipe). Nutrition info just accounts for the beef.
Nutrition
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 385 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Carbohydrates: 8 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 37 g
- Cholesterol: 8 g
If you make this or any of my other recipes, be sure to Instagram it and tag @thegarlicdiaries so I can see!
Kinda flipped it and did the beef in the instant pot and the rice on the stove. The flavor of the beef is so excellent; it’s gotta be one of the top things to do with a piece of chuck. I had to read up on why a pear is added because I find that in so many Asian recipes, especially Korean. It’s for the sweetness and juice. Whatever, it’s really GOOD.
The dish seemed nearly effortless and is truly delicious. The dog loved the broth poured over his dog food. One lucky po9ch.
★★★★★
Yum! The enzymes in the pears also breaks down the meat and makes it tender! That’s why I love using it :). I’m so glad you loved this recipe, Jean! And your dog is definitely one lucky pooch!!