Korean Ground Beef Stir Fry

Begin by placing water and rice in a saucepan, then bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Next, lower the heat to a low setting and cover the saucepan with a lid. Allow the rice to cook until it is tender and has absorbed all of the water, which should take around 15 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat source and let it sit, still covered, for an additional 10 minutes. Finally, use a spoon to gently fluff the cooked rice and keep it warm throughout the cooking process.

Simultaneously, prepare the pickled scallions by combining the white parts of scallions with vinegar and salt in a small bowl. Set this mixture aside to pickle while you proceed with the stir-fry.

In a large skillet, heat half of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add sliced zucchini, mushrooms, and carrots to the skillet, seasoning with salt and pepper as desired. Use a spatula to stir-fry these vegetables until they are crisp-tender, which should take around 3-5 minutes.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together half of the soy sauce with sesame oil and sugar until well blended. Pour this mixture over the cooked vegetables in the skillet, stirring to coat them evenly.

Remove the vegetable mixture from the skillet and set it aside to keep warm. In the same skillet, heat the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic and ginger to the skillet, cooking until fragrant for about 1 minute. Then, add sliced beef to the skillet and cook, stirring constantly, until it is browned and crumbly, taking around 5-7 minutes. Discard any excess grease that accumulates during this process.

Start by ladling cooked rice into individual serving bowls. Next, add sliced beef on top of the rice, followed by the vegetable mixture and a spoonful of pickled scallions. Sprinkle chopped scallion greens over the top and finish with a drizzle of Sriracha sauce.