Name: Thai-style beef rice bowl
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil; 500g beef mince; 2 teaspoons cornflour; 2 tablespoons fish sauce; 2 cloves garlic, crushed; 1 tablespoon ginger paste; 1 tablespoon lemongrass paste; 1/4 cup coarsely grated palm sugar (or brown sugar); 1/3 cup (80ml) fresh lime juice (see tip); steamed jasmine rice; 1 cup (80g) bean sprouts, picked; 1 Lebanese cucumber (130g), sliced thinly into ribbons; 1/3 cup each fresh coriander and mint leaves; 3 green onions, sliced thinly; steamed broccolini and sliced long red chilli

For a weeknight dinner that’s big on flavour, you have to try this Thai-style beef rice bowl. Beautiful, aromatic ingredients of garlic, ginger, lime and lemongrass, combined with the convenience of beef mince, will make this recipe a fast favourite.

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil

500g beef mince

2 teaspoons cornflour

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon ginger paste

1 tablespoon lemongrass paste

1/4 cup coarsely grated palm sugar (or brown sugar)

1/3 cup (80ml) fresh lime juice (see tip)

steamed jasmine rice

1 cup (80g) bean sprouts, picked

1 Lebanese cucumber (130g), sliced thinly into ribbons

1/3 cup each fresh coriander and mint leaves

3 green onions, sliced thinly

steamed broccolini and sliced long red chilli

Method

Heat half the oil in a large non-stick frypan or wok over high heat; cook the beef, stirring, until well browned and cooked through.

Meanwhile, combine cornflour and fish sauce in a small cup, stir to dissolve.

Push the mince mixture to one side of the pan. Add the remaining oil, cook the garlic, stirring, until fragrant but not coloured. Add the ginger and lemongrass pastes, cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the sugar, cook, stirring, until all ingredients are combined.

Add the lime juice and fish sauce mixture; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until beef mixture has thickened slightly.

Divide rice, beef mince mixture, sprouts, cucumber, herbs, green onion, broccolini and chilli between serving bowls.

How many limes do I need?

For this beef rice bowl you will need approximately 3 large limes to yield 1/3 cup of juice. If juicing by hand, roll each lime firmly on bench. You could also microwave each lime for 10 seconds to heat slightly before juicing.

Learn more about the ingredients in the beef rice bowl

Peanut oil: Pressed from ground peanuts; the most commonly used oil in Asian cooking because of its capacity to handle high heat without burning (high smoke point).

Cornflour: Also known as cornstarch. Available made from corn or wheat; used as a thickening agent in cooking, like in this beef rice bowl recipe.

Fish sauce: Also called nam pla or nuoc nam; made from pulverised salted fermented fish, most often anchovies. Has a pungent smell and strong taste, so use sparingly.

Lemongrass: A tall, clumping, lemon-smelling and -tasting, sharp-edged grass. It’s the white part of the stem that is most often used in cooking. Also available in a paste form, like used in this beef rice bowl recipe.

Palm sugar: Also called nam tan pip, jaggery, jawa or gula melaka; it is made from the sap of the sugar palm tree. Light brown to black in colour and usually sold in rock-hard cakes. You can use brown sugar as a substitute.

Midweek beef mince dinner inspiration

For more simple recipes with beef mince, see this recipe collection.

Beef, spinach & ricotta lasagne

Greek meatballs with fetta, oregano and risoni

Julie Goodwin’s curried mince & rice

One pan layered burrito bake

Recipe developer Jessica Brook

Jessica’s career spans every corner of the food world - from professionally-trained chef to recipe writer, food editor, stylist, and consultant. She is an expert at crafting food stories and writing recipes. Jessica brings a unique blend of cultural curiosity, refined skill, and personal style to every dish she creates.

Women's Weekly Food

Trusted by home cooks for 90 years, The Australian Women’s Weekly’s Test Kitchen and cookbooks hold a singular place in shaping home cooking within the Australian culinary landscape. Today, the AWW Test Kitchen in Sydney is a thriving hub for food content, connected to two bustling photographic studios where a talented team of Australia’s best recipe developers, art directors, editors and photographers create our world class food content. Our recipes are thoroughly tested and tasted and given the Test Kitchen tick of approval, guaranteeing you’ll get great results in your home kitchen.

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