Korean Inspired  Shredded  Beef  Bowl | Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker Version

Korean Beef Bulgogi is  absolutely  delicious. This version is  inspired  by the  same  flavors and  the ingredients  can usually be found in your pantry.   What is  more preparing this flavorful meal leaves you with  very  minimal cleanup ! I will  definitely go for   that – won’t you ?

All day slow  simmered   meals  are  no doubt  very satisfying.  This is  one  of    those  meals  that  gives  you the  feel of  that  all day cooking   with  much –  and  I mean MUCH  – less effort.  The  meat  is  tender  and  flavorful  and   the sauce  is  a  delicious  mix of  sweet,  sour  and  spicy flavors. Serve over a bowl of  rice  with a few  sautéed  vegetables and  sprinkling of  sesame  seeds  and scallions   and  it  becomes a  feast for the eyes as well as  the  taste buds.

So this summer I have been  using  the  instant pot  quite a  bit  more  compared  to  my  stove top pressure  cooker.  No   I still does  not  consider  it  as a  must  have  equipment, but  I love  that  I am not  worrying  about   heating  up the  kitchen , and   definitely enjoy that  fact  that   I can  walk   away  after setting  it.

These are all the ingredients  that went  into  this  dish. Left to right , top to bottom  in that order these are  Beef broth,  onion, soy sauce , garlic, ginger, green onions/ scallions , pepper, rice vinegar, brown sugar,  oil, cornstarch, siracha and  beef.

Substitutions :     You can  substitute   beef  broth  with  water  without   noticeable  reduction of   flavors  and  siracha  can  be  substituted  by your  favorite  hot  sauce. When making   substitutions just taste  the  sauce  and  adjust  flavorings.  You could  also use the  powdered/dehydrated   versions  of  onions , garlic  and  ginger.

The  way this  recipe is  structured , you  don’t  have to cut up the meat   unless of  course it  is  too big  to  fit into the  pressure  cooker.  There  is  no  marination  and  the  sauce  is  mixed  right  in the pot.  This  gives   you  an opportunity to taste  before  adding  the  meat  and  adjust the  sauces  to your  taste.  I was  not   kidding  when  I said  minimal  cleanup !

• No slicing → Minimal meat handling  and less/no worries  about cross  contamination
• No marination → Saves time
• One Pot → Easy Cleanup 

The  recipe  calls  for  low  sodium  soy sauce , as  there is  quite a  good  amount of  soy sauce here.  I find  that the  regular   soy sauce  makes the  dish a  tad  bit  too salty, hence the  low  sodium  soy sauce.  You might  have to  add  a  little  more  salt  towards  the  end  when you add  the  beef  back into the  sauce.

Here is  the  process :

Saute  the  fresh onion , ginger  and  garlic  till soft.  Mix  in the  ingredients  for the  sauce  , except  corn starch. Taste and  adjust.  Place  the  meat  in it  and  press to  coat. Flip so that all sides  have  come into contact  with the  sauce.  Cook .  Remove  the  meat  and   shred. Add cornstarch to  the  sauce . Add  the   shredded  beef  and   cook to desired  thickness !

So what is  the  best part of  cooking this ?  I would  like  to say  tasting, but  who am I kidding – the  most  fun is  going  at  it  with  the  forks.  The truth  be  told  I think  about   a   quarter  of  the  meat disappeared  while  I was  shredding it.  But I gained  some  volunteers  to  do this  job   for the  next  batch.

Before I forget  you can  do this  in the  pressure  cooker/IP   itself  if  you like.

Now  I am not a  big  meat  eater, but  I can  see myself  making more of  this.  Here are  a  few   ways  variations  you can  try.

• Add  apples/pears  to the   sauce, reduce  the  sugar if  you do  so.
• Serve with  different  veggies –  broccoli ,  sautéed  brussel sprouts
• Make a wrap or  taco
• Cook out the  juices  and  use  as pizza   topping
• Serve over brown rice

And  many more  that  you will come  up  with !

When  cooking  with stove top  pressure  cooker

If  you are  not  planning  to  use the  stove  top  pressure  cooker  , follow the  same  instructions as  for instant  pot .   When  the  desired  pressure  is  reached  lower  the  heat and  let  it  cook for  the  same  amount  of time  as  in the   recipe.

This   was  made in a   6 qt  Instant Pot,  and  can  definitely be  doubled.  You don’t have  to change the  cooking  time, but  ensure  that  your  pressure cooker is  big  enough  to  handle the  extra  food.  Do not  fill more than 2/3 of  the way.  Also when  doubling  the  recipe   do not  double  the  liquids – in this  case  1 ½  times  the   broth/water   will be  enough  while   doubling  the  flavorings.    This  works   as there  is  minimal  moisture loss  due  to  evaporation.

I like  to make  a  double  batch. When   Done  cooking  remove  half  and  keep the  machine on  saute  and reduce  the sauce  down.  This  is  what  I can  use  to  make tacos  or  wraps  or  sandwiches  for the  nest  day’s  lunch.   Dinner  and  the next  days  lunch is  taken  care of !

That is the  shredded  beef  on  naan  bread.   Try  these  with  my vinegar  onions . These  vinegar  onions  were  made  with  white  onions  and  I had  added a  piece  of  pickled  beets  to the  vinegar.  In about  30  minutes  the  ends  of  the  onions  will  turn  pink  while  the  rest  stays  white.  This   was  left  in the pickling  solution  for a  few hours  and  had  turned  beautiful   pink all  around.  Gorgeous isn’t it ?

So here is  the  recipe  for Korean Bulgogi  Inspired  Shredded  Beef  Bowl…

Korean Inspired Shredded Beef

By Syama

This  Korean inspired beef  bowl creates that  all day cooked  taste  in a fraction of the time.  The  meat is melt  in the  mouth  tender and the sauce  has  a  delicious  mix  of  sweet , tangy and  spicy flavors.  Cooking and cleanup are a snap in this Instant pot version.

No ratings yet

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine Korean

Servings 6

Calories 400 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 lb  Chuck roast
• 2 Tbsp  Sesame Oil  or Canola
• 1/2 C Finely Chopped Onion
• 3 Cloves Garlic Minced
• 1 Tbsp  Ginger Grated
• 2 Tbsp Brown  Sugar Adjust to Taste
• 1/4 C Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• 1/2 C Beef  Broth or  Water
• 2 Tbsp Rice Wine  Vinegar
• 1 Tsp Siracha Or Your favorite hot sauce
• 1/2 Tsp Pepper, Fresh Ground To Taste
• Salt - to taste
• 2 Tbsp Corn Starch
• 2 Tbsp Water

To Serve

• Rice
• Chopped Scallions
• Sesame  Seeds
• Sauteed  Vegetables

Instructions

 

Prep

• Finely chop the onions and mince/grate the ginger and garlic. Assemble all the ingredients for the dish .

Cook The Meat

• Set  the instant pot  to  saute.  When  hot add the  sesame oil . After a  few  seconds    add  the  onions   and   cook  for 30 seconds  stirring  once  or  twice.  Add the  ginger  and  garlic  and   saute for 30 seconds  till the  onions  look  soft.  Turn off.
• Add vinegar, soy sauce , beef broth/water , siracha, sugar and pepper.   Mix  and  taste.  Adjust  the  seasoning  if  needed.  Place the meat  in the sauce . Press down gently . Flip  the  meat once so that all sides are covered with the sauce. 
• Close lid,  close the   vent and set  to cook on meat  setting  (Manual , high pressure) for 40  minutes. (See notes)

Make the sauce

• Let  the  pressure  release  naturally. Take  out  the  meat  and  shred  using  2  forks,
• Mix  corn starch with  2  Tbsp water to make a lump free  slurry.  Pour into sauce. Press  sauté - stir  and  cook for  1  minute.   Place the  shredded beef  back in.  Taste and  adjust  the  seasonings.  Keep on  saute  mode for  a few minutes  to   thicken the  sauce  to your  preference. 

Serve

• While  the  beef is  cooking,  cook the  rice  according to package instructions. Saute  or  steam or  microwave   vegetables. 

  Layer the  rice in a bowl. Serve the beef  over  the  rice.  Arrange the  sauteed  or  steamed vegetables  around it.  Sprinkle   the  chopped  scallions  and  sesame  seeds on top.

Notes

•  Be  sure to taste  test  if  using  substitutions.
• Chili garlic  sauce  works  great  in  this  recipe  instead of  siracha.
• This  shredded beef  can  be  served over  white rice / brown rice / quinoa / mashed  potatoes / flat breads or  your  choice of  crusty bread.
• This  dish  can  be  refrigerated  for a  couple  of  days or be  frozen for  longer  storage.
• Check  the  blog  for  instruction on  stove top pressure cooker  and  doubling  the    recipe.
• If  in a  hurry you could  release  the  pressure (QR)  after  5  minutes of  cooling.  The  meat  will be  cooked, but  I feel that  the   extra  time infuses more  flavors into the  dish.

 

Nutrition label for informational purpose only. The fat content can be reduced by discarding cooked fat or trimming the chuck. Using water instead of beef broth reduces the sodium levels as well.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 400kcal

Important: Nutrition Values are estimates. Actuals vary based on ingredients and serving size.

Tried this recipe?Mention @Oventales or tag #Oventales on Instagram