Ok admit it, you hoarded ground beef at the supermarket. Not because you're a bad person. It's because it freezes well, the kids will eat it, and it's great for "batch cooking." But here we are in week 3 of the Covid-19 quarantine and if you see another burger, meatball, or bowl of chili, you're gonna lose it.
May I present one of my FAVORITE comfort food dishes of all time: Chinese Ground Beef and Green Bean Over Rice. Gimmie. Now.
It's the gravy that makes the dish: Garlic, ginger, and soy sauce always works. Throw in Oyster Sauce and you get that straight-up umami balance that makes the angels sing and if you made extra gravy just because, I will not be mad at you. The recipe is below. Feel free to send me your thoughts and enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 inch fresh ginger, grated (or 1 tsp ground)
1 ½ cups chicken stock (water is cool)
3 tbsp Soy Sauce
3 tbsp Oyster Sauce (hoisin or honey will do in a pinch)
8-9 oz frozen and cut green beans.Fresh are great too!
1 tbsp cornstarch
¼ cup cold water
Cooked rice for serving
Directions:
1. Set a large fry/saute pan to medium heat. Add oil and heat to a shimmer
2. Add onion and ground beef and cook until the pink almost disappears and the onion is tender(about 5-7 mins)
3. Drain off fat as needed
4. Add garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds.
5. Stir in 1 ½ cups of stock or water, soy sauce, and oyster sauce along with green beans and heat to a low boil. Lower to a simmer and cook until green beans are tender (7-10 mins).Check frequently and season with salt and pepper.Add more soy sauce and oyster sauce as needed.
6. Blend cornstarch and ¼ cup cold water to create a slurry. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the cornstarch (do NOT add cornstarch to a boil or simmer).Bring to a boil and stir for one minute.Mixture should thicken into a “gravy.”
7. Serve immediately over rice.