Cabbage & Ground Beef One-Pot Rice! Easy & Delish Weeknight Dinner
Today, I’m excited to share a super comforting and flavorful recipe that’s perfect for a quick and satisfying meal: Japanese Ground Beef and Cabbage Hot Pot. This dish is wonderfully simple, bringing together savory ground beef, sweet cabbage, and perfectly cooked rice, all in one pot (well, mostly!). It’s a style of “Donabe” or Nabe (hot pot) cooking that’s easy to adapt.
This blog post is to accompany my YouTube video, so you can easily find all the ingredients and steps. Let’s get cooking!
Ingredients (Serves 1)
Here’s what you’ll need. I’ve included metric and approximate imperial conversions for you!
◇ For the Seasoned Ground Beef:
Ground Beef: 100g (approx. 3.5 oz)
Ginger: 3 thin slices, julienned (cut into thin matchsticks)
Soy Sauce: 1 Tbsp (approx. 0.5 fl oz)
Mirin (Sweet Rice Wine): 1.5 Tbsp (approx. 0.75 fl oz)
Sake (Japanese Rice Wine): 0.5 Tbsp (approx. 0.25 fl oz or 1.5 tsp)
Sugar: 0.5 Tbsp (approx. 0.25 fl oz or 1.5 tsp)
Rice Vinegar: 0.5 tsp (approx. 0.08 fl oz)
◇ For the Stir-fried Cabbage:
Cabbage: 100g (approx. 3.5 oz), cut into bite-sized pieces
Vegetable Oil: 1 tsp (approx. 0.17 fl oz)
Hondashi Powder (Bonito Stock Granules): A pinch (Optional: can substitute with salt and pepper to taste)
◇ For the Rice:
Japanese Short-Grain Rice: 75g (approx. 2.65 oz)
Water: 100ml (approx. 3.4 fl oz or just under 1/2 US cup)
Soy Sauce: 1 tsp (approx. 0.17 fl oz)
Mirin: 1 tsp (approx. 0.17 fl oz)
Hondashi Powder: A pinch (Optional: can substitute with salt and pepper to taste)
◇ For Topping (Optional):
Green Onion (Scallion): 2 Tbsp, finely chopped
Instructions (Let’s make it!)
I’ve broken this down into a few simple steps. Using a single pot (like a small donabe, clay pot, or any heavy-bottomed pot with a lid) makes cleanup easier!
Prep Your Ingredients:
Wash the rice thoroughly until the water runs mostly clear, then drain it completely.
Cut the cabbage into bite-sized pieces.
Julienne the ginger (slice thinly, then cut into matchsticks).
Finely chop the green onions if using for topping.
Cook the Seasoned Ground Beef:
In your pot, combine the ground beef, julienned ginger, soy sauce (1 Tbsp), mirin (1.5 Tbsp), sake (0.5 Tbsp), sugar (0.5 Tbsp), and rice vinegar (0.5 tsp).
Place the pot over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer, breaking up the beef with a spoon or chopsticks.
Once simmering, reduce the heat to low and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the beef is glossy and well-seasoned.
Remove the cooked beef from the pot and set it aside.
Stir-fry the Cabbage:
Wipe the pot clean if needed. Add the vegetable oil (1 tsp) and heat it over medium heat.
Add the bite-sized cabbage pieces and stir-fry until they are slightly softened and wilted but still have a bit of crunch.
Season with a pinch of Hondashi powder (or salt and pepper to taste).
Remove the cooked cabbage from the pot and set it aside with the beef.
Cook the Rice:
To the same pot, add the washed and drained rice.
Pour in the water (100ml), soy sauce (1 tsp), mirin (1 tsp), and a pinch of Hondashi powder (or salt and pepper). Stir gently to combine.
Cover the pot with a lid. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat (this should take about 2 minutes – listen for it!).
Simmer the Rice:
Once you hear it boiling (or see steam escaping vigorously), immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting.
Let it simmer gently, covered, for 15-20 minutes. Do not lift the lid during this time!
Chef’s Tip: A good sign the rice is done (or very close) is when you can smell a slightly toasty, nutty aroma coming from the pot.
Rest and Assemble:
After 15-20 minutes, turn off the heat and let the rice steam, still covered, for another 5-10 minutes. This helps it finish cooking perfectly.
Fluff the cooked rice gently with a rice paddle or spoon.
Serve the rice in a bowl. Top generously with the seasoned ground beef and stir-fried cabbage.
Sprinkle with chopped green onions, if desired.
And there you have it – your very own Ground Beef and Cabbage Hot Pot! It’s a wonderfully warming and delicious meal.
I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you try it out, please let me know in the comments below or on my YouTube video. Don’t forget to check out the video for a visual guide on how to make this dish.
Happy cooking!
