Cantonese Beef and Rice Bowls

Tender beef, onion and garlic, simmered in a velvety, sweet/salty sauce of Chinese wine, oyster and soy sauces, and nutty sesame oil. Full blown flavor explosion time, with a handful of ingredients. And it all goes down in about 20 minutes.

Seriously - this is so friggin' good! And easy too. Most of the ingredients are pantry staples, and everything comes together wicked fast. One ingredient you may not have is Shaoxing rice wine, and it's the magic bullet here. But don't fret if don't have it - I've got you covered with substitutions below. 

Shaoxing rice wine (also spelled Shao-hsing or Shaohsing) is a Chinese cooking wine made with glutinous rice, wheat yeast and spring water. It's an essential ingredient in Chinese cooking, so if you want your homemade dishes to taste like restaurant-quality Chinese food, Shaoxing is your secrete weapon. If you can't get your hands on a bottle before making this, substitute dry sherry, mirin (Japanese cooking wine) or cooking sake.

Serving suggestion: I suggest serving the beef over rice or Asian noodles. The sauce is so flavorful and glossy, you'll definitely want something to lap it up.

Now turn that pound of ground beef into one of the best dishes you've ever had the joy of making!

Cantonese Beef and Rice Bowls

1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons Shaoxing wine, dry sherry, mirin, or cooking sake
2 cups beef or chicken broth, divided
3 tablespoons oyster sauce, hoisin sauce or mushroom sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups cooked rice or Asian noodles for serving
Chopped green onions for serving, optional
Chopped fresh cilantro for serving, optional

Brown the beef in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the Shaoxing wine, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 1 minute.
Add 1 3/4 cups of the broth, plus the oyster sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil and return to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
Dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining 1/4 cup of broth. Add the mixture to the beef mixture and simmer for 2 minutes, until the sauce thickens (it should thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon; if it doesn't simmer another minute or two). Season to taste with with salt and pepper. Serve the beef over the cooked rice and top with green onions and cilantro, if using.
Serves 4