Made in under 30 minutes, this Honey Hoisin Beef Bowls is the perfect mix of sweet and savoury! This quick recipe makes for a delicious meal prep or as a last minute meal.
Honey Hoisin Beef Bowls
Whenever I’m feeling lazy, I do this “recipe” where I stir fry some meat and pretty much just add whatever that is in my spice cabinet that I think will make it taste good. My go-to is usually something combined with hoisin as it adds such a delicious sweet but savoury flavour and all these ingredients share the same lazy susan in my cupboard so naturally, I’d just put a varying amount of each in.
Growing up, it was my all time favourite sauce and as a picky eater, my mom would just drizzle a ton of hoisin on top of whatever I didn’t feel like eating (or make me a quick stir fry), and I’d gobble it right up.
This honey hoisin beef bowls is a bit of a call back to that. It’s delicious, it’s easy, and it takes under 30 minutes to put together and 2 seconds to gobble it all up!
What is Hoisin Sauce?
Hoisin sauce is a thick fragrant Chinese condiment made with fermented soybean paste, garlic, vinegar, sesame oil, chiles, and sweetener. It’s sweet, salty, and has a strong unami flavour. Kind of like a Chinese BBQ sauce.
It can be used as a dipping sauce, marinade, glaze, in stir fry dishes, or just drizzled on top of plain rice to add flavour to it. Although in Chinese, it’s called 海鮮 (literally pronounced hoi-sin) directly translates to the word “seafood,” Hoisin does not contain any seafood or animal products in general as it’s made with soybeans.
What You’ll Need To Make This Beef Bowl
- hoisin sauce
- honey
- soy sauce: I recommend using low sodium soy sauce
- mirin: mirin is a Japanese sweet rice wine, if you are unable to find it, you can try rice vinegar with extra honey
- olive oil
- lean ground beef
- garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
- optional toppings: green onions (also called scallions), lime, and carrots
- rice to serve: I used white rice but you can use brown rice, quinoa, couscous, or whatever grain of your choice.
How To Make Honey Hoisin Beef Bowls
- In a small bowl, combine the hoisin sauce, honey, soy sauce, and mirin. Set aside.
- On medium heat, drizzle the olive oil into a pan, add the lean brown beef to it, and cook until brown, breaking the beef up into small pieces with a wooden spoon as you go.
- When browned, add in the garlic and continue to sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add the hoisin mixture into the pan and stir to evenly coat all of the ground beef. Continue to sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- When done, serve on a bed of rice and with toppings of your choice. I served with some basmati rice, julienned carrots, lime, and green onions.
Recipe Variations
- swap mirin for rice wine vinegar with a pinch of sugar
- swap lean ground beef for ground pork, ground turkey, or chickpeas
- swap regular julienned carrots for pickled carrots for extra flavour
- make it spicy by adding in red chili flakes, sriracha, or Chinese chili paste
Tips and Notes
- storing and meal prep: store these hoisin bowls in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
- if you are not using lean ground beef, be sure to drain the fat out of your pan.
Honey Hoisin Beef Bowls
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup hoisin sauce
- 4 tbsp honey
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp mirin
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 6 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 tsp salt, or to taste
- optional toppings: green onions, lime, and carrots
- 4 cups cooked rice to serve
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the hoisin sauce, honey, soy sauce, and mirin. Set aside.
- On medium heat, drizzle the olive oil into a pan, add the lean brown beef to it, and cook until brown, breaking the beef up into small pieces with a wooden spoon and salting as you go.
- When browned, add in the garlic and continue to sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add the hoisin mixture into the pan and stir to evenly coat all of the ground beef. Continue to sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- When done, serve on a bed of rice and with toppings of your choice. I served with some basmati rice, julienned carrots, lime, and green onions.
Notes
- estimated calorie count includes the cooked rice
Nutrition Per Serving
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Mindy
This has been on a monthly rotation now! So good!