Korean Steak Rice Bowls & IPA

Korean Steak Rice Bowls

Servings – 2

·         8 ounces steak (I used rib eye, but lots of cuts would work here) - cubed

·         ¼ c soy sauce

·         3 T sesame oil (use peanut oil or another vegetable oil if you don’t have on hand)

·         2 T sugar

·         1 T sake or white wine

·         1 t onion powder

·         1 clove (1 t) of garlic minced

·         ½ carrot julienned

·         3 T white vinegar

·         ¼ t salt

·         ¼ t sugar

·         2 servings of rice (I used 5 minute brown, but white and jasmine are delicious here too)

·         4 ounces spinach (frozen or fresh will work)

·         ½ zucchini chopped into half moons

·         2 eggs

·         Korean red pepper sauce – Gochujang (you should be able to find this in Asian grocery stores, but I found it at Sprouts, it was the Annie Chun brand)

1.       Combine soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, sake, onion powder and garlic.  Place into plastic bag with steak.  Marinade in fridge for at least 30 minutes, but all day is better.

2.       Combine white vinegar, salt, and sugar.  Add to plastic bag with carrots.  Let pickle for at least 30 minutes, but overnight is better.  You can also buy pickled carrots is you can find them.

3.       Cook rice according to directions, need 2 servings which is usually 1 cup dried and 2 cups cooked)

4.       Sautee beef on the stove about 5 minutes until cooked through.

5.       Sautee zucchini in a little cooking spray for about 5 minutes until tender.  Add spinach and a dash of salt and pepper until spinach is wilted and heated through.

6.       Fry the 2 eggs, want the yolk to remain runny.  (I used only an egg white for myself as I don’t like the yolks).

7.       To assemble: Split rice between two bowls.  Top with sautéed veggies and carrots (first drain pickling juice from carrots).  Top veggies with beef.  Top with a little bit of the Korean sauce.  Top with fried egg.  Serve with additional sauce.

My husband introduced me to Korean rice bowls at a restaurant near his work called B.B.Bop.  While I loved it and it’s quite far for me to go there and there are no similar restaurants nearby.  I had to learn to make it myself.  You can do tons of different veggies, fresh and pickled and different meats as well.  This is the combination we both like.

With the red pepper sauce and the pickled veggies, this is a flavorful and spicy dish, so you will need something to stand up to that bold flavor.  For those you who don’t like IPAs, I am sorry because they are my staple and well they go well with spicy dishes.  I also have been sick and unable to drink for awhile, so I am going off of memory as I haven’t tried many new beers lately.  This is a beer I had several years ago when my husband and I went on our first vacation together in Denver.  Our first stop when we got in was to go on a walking brewery tour.  It was awesome, I recommend it.  The rest of our trip was planned on the recommendations of other tourists and locals alike we met on that tour.  The first stop on the tour was the Great divide brewing company.  We got a tour of the facility as well as having tastings.  It has a small tasting room, but everyone there was so nice and knowledgeable.  This is the day I also realized IPAs were my favorite.  Their IPA is called Titan.  This is a smooth IPA with nice citrus finish.

Thai Steak Salad & IPA

Thai Steak Salad
Servings - 2

Marinade
• ½ T garlic
• 2 t onion powder
• 1 dried lemon grass chopped
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro
• 1/3 cup of fresh mint
• 1/3 cup of lime juice (about 4 limes for me)
• 2 T fish sauce
• 1 t sweet chili sauce
• 3 T sugar/splenda
• 6-8 oz steak (I used sirloin)

Dressing
• 1 T rice vinegar
• 1 T sweet chili sauce
• Dash sugar/Splenda
• Dash garlic powder
• Dash onion powder
• Dash salt
• Dash pepper

Salad
• 4 large handfuls of lettuce
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 1 T mint
• 1 T cilantro

1. In bowl, mix together garlic, onion powder, lemon grass, cilantro, mint, lime juice, fish sauce, sweet chili sauce and sugar. Add to ziplock bag with steak. Marinade at least 3 hours.
2. In small sauce pan combine dressing ingredients, and heat until combined
3. Grill steak, about 3-4 minutes per side for medium rare, let steak rest several minutes
4. Split lettuce between two plates
5. Top with cucumber, mint, cilantro, and dressing
6. Finally, slice and top with steak

This is a very flavorful salad and hearty enough for a main dish. Since this is so flavorful, you want a flavorful beer to stand up to it. I chose an IPA, Frye’s Leap IPA, made by Sebago Brewing Company out of Maine, where they have four locations. This has a big aroma and a big flavor. As with IPAs, there are a lot of hops, but balanced with caramel malts and grapefruit. The citrus here plays off well with the citrus of the steak marinade.

Thai Peanut Chicken & IPA

Thai Peanut Chicken
Servings - 4

• 3 T soy sauce
• 3 T fish sauce
• 2 t hot pepper sauce
• 2 t red pepper flakes
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 T minced fresh ginger root
• 2 T onion powder or one large onion diced
• 2 T brown sugar
• 2 T peanut oil
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into chunks

• ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 cups broccoli
• 1/2 cup cashews

1. In a bag, mix together first 9 ingredients. Add chicken and marinade for at least one hour.
2. Pour chicken and sauce into pan and sauté until chicken is cooked through about 5-10 minutes.
3. Add peanut butter and broccoli
4. Cook until broccoli is cooked through and peanut butter is thoroughly blended
5. Top with cashews
6. Serve with rice.

The spiciness of this rich calls for a beer with a strong flavor for compliment and in order to not get lost in the strength of the dish. Choosing one my favorite beers here, another IPA. For this dish I chose Sierra Nevada’s Celebration Ale. Sierra Nevada is a well known brewery out of California. This is a seasonal ale, usually out around Christmas time. It has a lot of hops, but a strong caramel maltiness as well. This does indeed taste like Christmas with a pine, floral finish.

Chicken Tortilla Soup & IPA

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Servings – 4

• 1 T onion powder or 1 small onion finely chopped
• 1 T garlic, finely chopped
• 2 T butter
• 4 oz can of green chilies
• 8 oz can tomato sauce/chopped tomatoes
• 2 jalapenos finely chopped
• 1 box of chicken stock
• 8 oz can black beans
• 8 oz can of corn or frozen corn
• Half a cooked chicken, meat shredded
• 2 limes
• 1 t salt
• 1 t pepper
• 1 cup shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese
• 4 corn tortillas cut into strips

1. Melt butter in soup pot on low
2. Sauté onion, garlic, butter, green chilies, tomatoes, and jalapenos for 5 minutes
3. Add chicken stock and bring to a bowl
4. Drain and add black beans and corn to pot
5. Juice the limes and add to pot
6. Add salt and pepper
7. Add chicken, cheese and tortillas
8. Cook for 5 more minutes
9. Serve and top with additional cheese and sour cream or guacamole

This is very filling and delicious. It’s very easy to make and you can freeze and eat later. If you do so, freeze before adding tortillas. This is great with an IPA. Steelhead extra pale ale is made by mad river brewing company and a great pair here. With being an extra pale ale it’s definitely hoppy but has some malt and floral aromas. It has a good citric quality that complements well here.