Korean ground turkey and cabbage stir-fry
Ground turkey and crisp cabbage in a sweet, spicy gochujang sauce over rice, a cheap and speedy bowl that tastes like takeout.
- 30 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $2.44 a serving
- 540 calories
- Good the next day
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: I’d make this on a weeknight. It’s on the table in 30 minutes.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1½ cups jasmine rice
- 2 tbsp gochujang
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 6 cups green cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 3 stalks green onions, sliced
- 1 tsp sesame seeds (optional)
From your pantry
- 2 cups water
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Each serving has about 540 calories, 30 g protein, 73 g carbs and 15 g fat, and costs about $2.44 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No jasmine rice? Long-grain white rice or basmati rice works.
- No ground turkey? Ground chicken works.
- No green cabbage? Red cabbage or coleslaw mix works.
- No shredded carrots? Carrots work.
- No green onions? Chives work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the rice, then bring it in a with the water and salt.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
High heat
once, cover, turn the heat to low and cook 15 minutes.
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.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
the gochujang, soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar and sesame oil in a small bowl.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Heat the oil in a large over medium-high. Add the turkey, let it sit 2 minutes, then break it up and cook 5 minutes more, until no pink remains.
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 heatTimer: 7 min
Dolly’s tip: Ground turkey is lean and sticks more than beef. Let it sit 2 minutes before you break it up so it browns instead of steaming.Food safety: Ground turkey and ground chicken are done at 165°F, with no pink left anywhere in the pan.
Add the garlic and ginger and 30 seconds.
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-high heat
Add the cabbage and carrot and 4 to 5 minutes, until the cabbage but still has some crunch.
Stir-fry. Stir-frying means cooking small pieces fast over high heat in a little oil, stirring almost constantly. It moves quickly, so have everything chopped and ready before the pan gets hot.
How you’ll know: It sizzles loudly the whole time, and the vegetables turn bright and tender-crisp in minutes.
Wilt. Wilting means cooking leafy greens just until they go soft and collapse. Greens shrink a lot, so a big pile of spinach becomes a small handful, and that’s normal.
How you’ll know: The leaves turn soft and deep green and slump into the pan, usually within a minute or two.
Medium-high heatTimer: 4 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: A mountain of cabbage cooks down to a third of its size, so use your biggest pan.Pour in the sauce and 1 to 2 minutes, until everything is glossy.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Medium-high heat
Serve over the rice with green onions and sesame seeds.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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