Gochujang turkey rice bowls
Sweet, spicy ground turkey over rice with cool cucumber and carrots, a lunch that reheats in a minute and tastes even better on day two.
- 25 min total
- 15 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $3.16 a serving
- 470 calories
- Good the next day
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: It’s ready in 25 minutes, start to finish.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp gochujang
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 2 packages microwave rice pouches
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds (optional)
From your pantry
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
Each serving has about 470 calories, 28 g protein, 57 g carbs and 16 g fat, and costs about $3.16 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No English cucumbers? Cucumbers or mini cucumbers work.
- No green onions? Chives work.
- No ground turkey? Ground chicken works.
- No shredded carrots? Carrots work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the garlic and the cucumber and green onions.
Mince. Mincing means chopping something into the tiniest pieces you can, smaller than a grain of rice. Tiny pieces melt into the dish, so you get the flavor without biting into a chunk of garlic.
How you’ll know: Every piece is tiny and about the same size, and the pile starts to look almost like a paste.
Thinly slice. Thinly slicing means cutting slices about an eighth of an inch thick, roughly two coins stacked. Thin slices cook in seconds and soften fast, which quick dishes need.
How you’ll know: A slice bends a little when you hold it by one edge, and slow, steady cuts beat fast ones.
the gochujang, soy sauce, brown sugar and rice vinegar together in a small bowl.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Heat the sesame oil in a large over medium-high heat, add the turkey, and break it up with a wooden spoon.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium-high heat
Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
Cook, breaking it into small crumbles, for 6 to 8 minutes, until with no pink left.
Brown. Browning means cooking until the outside turns brown, which is where a lot of savory flavor comes from. Give food room and time without stirring, or it steams and stays gray.
How you’ll know: The food looks brown rather than gray, and the kitchen smells toasty and savory.
Medium-high heatTimer: 7 min
Dolly’s tip: Let it sit for a minute between stirs. That’s how it gets brown bits instead of turning gray.Food safety: Ground turkey and ground chicken are done at 165°F, with no pink left anywhere in the pan.
in the garlic for 30 seconds, then pour in the sauce and stir for 1 minute, until the turkey looks glossy.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Medium heatTimer: 1 min 30 sec
Heat the rice pouches in the microwave as the package says.
Divide the rice and turkey among 4 containers, add the cucumber, carrots and green onions on the side, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Dolly’s tip: Cool it for 20 minutes, then refrigerate up to 4 days. If you’ll reheat it, pack the cucumber and carrots in their own small container.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop plans your lunches along with the week’s dinners, puts what you need on the same grocery list, and walks you through each step.
