Description
Thai Sweet Chilli Beef Bowls are a flavorful and quick-to-make meal featuring ground beef cooked with a sweet and tangy chilli stir fry sauce, toasted cashews, and fresh coriander, served over jasmine rice with a side of fresh or steamed vegetables. The dish offers a perfect balance of savory, sweet, and citrusy flavors, making it a delicious weeknight dinner option that can easily be prepped ahead.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the Beef and Stir Fry Sauce
- 1/3 cup roasted cashews, unsalted (or peanuts)
- 1 tbsp canola oil (or other plain cooking oil)
- 500 g / 1 lb beef mince (ground beef)
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 3 tbsp roughly chopped coriander/cilantro leaves (substitute with green onion if preferred)
- 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce (I use Trident)
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar (can substitute cider vinegar)
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce (vegetarian oyster sauce can be used as substitute)
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce (can substitute all purpose or light soy sauce)
For the Sweet Chilli Drizzle Sauce
- 1 garlic clove, minced using garlic crusher
- 3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
- 2 tbsp lime juice (sub rice vinegar if limes are expensive)
- 2 tsp fish sauce
To Serve
- 2 batches jasmine rice or any other plain rice of choice, cooked
- Steamed or fresh vegetables (such as chopped cucumber, coriander/cilantro, finely sliced red onion, shredded cabbage, carrot, leafy greens, radish, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, or peas)
Instructions
- Prepare the sauces: In one bowl, mix the ingredients for the sweet chilli drizzle sauce (minced garlic, sweet chilli sauce, lime juice, fish sauce) and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the sweet chilli stir fry sauce ingredients: sweet chilli sauce, fish sauce, rice vinegar, oyster sauce, and dark soy sauce. Set aside.
- Toast the cashews: Heat a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add the cashews and toast for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally until golden and fragrant. Transfer to a cutting board and roughly chop once cooled.
- Cook the beef mixture: Using the same pan, heat the canola oil over high heat. Add the finely chopped onion and minced garlic, sauté for about 1 minute until fragrant and softened. Add the beef mince and cook, breaking it apart with a spatula, until fully browned and no pink remains.
- Add the stir fry sauce: Pour the prepared sweet chilli stir fry sauce into the pan with the beef. Stir well to coat the meat. Continue cooking for about 3 to 4 minutes, allowing the sauce to reduce and caramelize on the beef. This step intensifies the flavors and creates a rich coating—do not rush it!
- Assemble the bowls: Serve the cooked beef over freshly cooked jasmine rice. Add a side of fresh or steamed vegetables of your choice. Drizzle the sweet chilli sauce mixture over the bowls, then top with the toasted cashews and fresh coriander leaves. Optionally, add sliced fresh chili for extra heat.
- Enjoy: Mix all the elements together in your bowl before eating for a perfect blend of flavors and textures.
Notes
- Toasting cashews enhances their flavor; use raw nuts but toast slightly longer to ensure they are cooked through. Peanuts or almonds are good substitutes, and a pinch of sesame seeds also works well.
- Fish sauce has a strong aroma in the bottle but mellows out during cooking and adds umami depth. If you need a substitute, use all-purpose or light soy sauce; avoid dark soy as it is too intense for this.
- Oyster sauce provides sweet-savory complexity and should not be skipped. A vegetarian oyster sauce alternative is available.
- Dark soy sauce adds a rich, deep brown color and flavor to the beef. Substitute with all purpose or light soy sauce if needed, though color and flavor will be milder.
- The drizzle sauce complements any vegetable, whether fresh/raw (cucumber, cabbage, carrot, radish) or steamed/blanched (broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, peas). Think of this like a poke bowl style serving.
- Leftovers keep well for 3 to 4 days refrigerated and up to 3 months frozen. Best to keep the drizzle sauce separate from the beef when storing. Cooked rice should be eaten within 3 days if refrigerated.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl with 1 cup cooked rice and sides
- Calories: 520 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 850 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 32 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg
