I confess, this Instant Pot Korean Beef and Rice recipe is Nigella Lawson’s Slow-Cooker Korean Beef and Rice Pot, from Simply Nigella, but pressure cooked instead. The recipe is fantastically simple (only 6 ingredients and NO CHOPPING!) and gives a satisfying, salty, spiky one-pot dish to dig into. Yes, no chopping and only one pot to wash up. You can’t say fairer than that.
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- Ingredients in Instant Pot
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- After cooking
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- Adding beantsprouts
If you’re feeling fancy, then snip some fresh coriander onto the beef and rice as you serve. And if you could handle a tiny bit more prep and washing up then the Instant Pot Korean Beef and Rice is beautifully complemented by some steamed pak choi or tenderstem broccoli with a sprinkling of soy sauce and sesame seeds.
This Instant Pot Korean beef and rice calls for gochujang which is a Korean fermented chilli paste that simultaneously brings savoury, sweet and spicy notes to the dish. The good news is that you can now buy this in some supermarkets (certainly Waitrose at time of writing) but the slightly less good news is that it’s definitely better from an Asian grocery store, like the tub shown in the photo. Also I definitely prefer dark rather than light soy sauce for this as it is less salty and gives a darker, stickier finish. But don’t worry, whichever gochujang or soy you use, the results will still be great!
For some alternative versions of the recipe, try throwing in approx. 250g frozen soy beans at the start. They do lose their bite and vibrant colour but they are still a worthy addition and act as the equivalent of kidney beans in chilli.
Alternative rice or grains are also excellent in this. I happened to have a mix of short-grain white rice, farro & pearl barley which worked really well, but I suspect any rice or grains would go down a treat.
To slow cook: at step 3 cook on low for 4 hours until the rice has lost its chalky rawness, the beef is tender and the water has been absorbed leaving a sticky sauce. Stir in the beansprouts and leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving.
To oven cook: preheat to 180°C/gas mark 4. Mix all of the ingredients (except beansprouts) in an ovenproof dish with a tight-fitting lid. Stir in the can of water as specified as well as an extra 125ml of water. Put the lid on and cook for 2-2.5 hours until the rice has lost its chalky rawness, the beef is tender and the water has been absorbed leaving a sticky sauce. Stir in the beansprouts and leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving.
- 500 g minced beef
- 200 g short grain brown rice (1 1/4 Instant Pot cups)
- 400 g can of chopped tomatoes
- 4 tbsp gochujang paste
- 4 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 300 g beansprouts
- Put all of the ingredients, except the beansprouts, into the Instant Pot.
- Fill the empty tomato can with cold tapwater and add to the rest of the ingredients, swilling the can as you go to extract the last remnants of the tomatoes.
- Stir to combine then put the lid on the Instant Pot. Set the valve to "sealing" and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes.
- When the time is up, carefully open the valve to do quick press release. The rice will have lost its chalky rawness, the beef will be tender and the water will have been absorbed leaving a sticky sauce.
- Remove the lid and stir in the beansprouts.
- Leave to stand for five minutes for the beansprouts to soften, then serve.
To slow cook: at step 3 cook on low for 4 hours until the rice has lost its chalky rawness, the beef is tender and the water has been absorbed leaving a sticky sauce. Stir in the beansprouts and leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving.
To oven cook: preheat to 180°C/gas mark 4. Mix all of the ingredients (except beansprouts) in an ovenproof dish with a tight-fitting lid. Stir in the can of water as specified as well as an extra 125ml of water. Put the lid on and cook for 2-2.5 hours until the rice has lost its chalky rawness, the beef is tender and the water has been absorbed leaving a sticky sauce. Stir in the beansprouts and leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving.
This Instant Pot Korean beef and rice calls for gochujang which is a Korean fermented chilli paste that simultaneously brings savoury, sweet and spicy notes to the dish. The good news is that you can now buy this in some supermarkets (certainly Waitrose at time of writing) but the slightly less good news is that it's definitely better from an Asian grocery store, like the tub shown in the photo. Also I definitely prefer dark rather than light soy sauce for this as it is less salty and gives a darker, stickier finish. But don't worry, whichever gochujang or soy you use, the results will still be great!
For an alternative version of the recipe, try throwing in approx. 250g frozen soy beans at the start. They do lose their bite and vibrant colour but they are still a worthy addition and act as the equivalent of kidney beans in chilli.
Alternative rice or grains are also excellent in this. I happened to have a mix of short-grain white rice, farro & pearl barley which worked really well, but I suspect any rice or grains would go down a treat.
