Spicy Beef and Red Pepper Rice Bowl

This spicy beef and red pepper rice bowl is cooked with dried red chili peppers and topped with a runny egg for a quick and easy dinner.

A few months ago, I made mapo tofu, a super delicious and spicy traditional Chinese dish that I pretty much un-traditionalized/butchered because fermented black beans and Sichuan peppercorns are not really something you’re easily going to find in Hopewell Junction, NY.

The most exotic ingredient I could get was dried red chili peppers. The thing is, that recipe called for like 4 peppers and I had to buy a bag of about 100.

So, with 96 dried red chili peppers sitting in my pantry for the past 4 months, I decided it was time to bring some spice into our lives with this spicy beef and pepper rice bowl.

Della Rice recently sent me 5 of their bags of rice and I was challenged with coming up with my own “stir”. Stir, rice bowl, call it whatever you want, basically it’s a bunch of ingredients with rice as the base.

These are honestly my favorite kinds of meals because they can truly be whatever you have on hand.

Got an avocado and cilantro in the fridge? Go Mexican! No protein defrosted? Make an egg scramble over rice! Got 96 dried red chili peppers in your pantry? Make this spicy beef and red pepper rice bowl with Della Rice’s jasmine rice!

Here’s the thing about chili peppers though, you know, in case you’ve been living under a rock, they’re spicy.

So when your husband comes inside from snow plowing (for the millionth time this winter), sees this in the skillet on the stove and decides to eat this while you’re upstairs showering and can’t tell him NOT to eat the chili peppers whole, he might end up in a fit of pain with tears running down his face because he thought they were a “red string bean”.

Yes, I live with someone who thinks red string beans exist.

Love this spicy beef and red pepper rice bowl?

Try these recipes:  sweet and spicy mango shrimp, Greek Brown Rice Bowls and Broccoli Shrimp Fried Rice.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• handful dried red chili peppers
• dash red pepper flakes
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 large shallot, sliced
• 1 large red bell pepper, cut into thick slices
• 3/4 cup beef broth
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon water
• salt and pepper
• 4 eggs
• chopped green onions for garnish

For the rice

• 1 cup jasmine rice (I used Della brand)
• 2 cups water
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Add the rice, water and salt to a medium sauce pot over high heat. Once boiling, cover, reduce heat to low and cook until all the water is absorbed by the rice.
2. While the rice cooks, place a large skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, add the beef and cook until browned, breaking up with a spatula or wooden spoon into small pieces. Drain the water from the skillet, transfer the beef to a plate, set aside and return the skillet back to the heat.
3. Melt the coconut oil in the skillet. Add the dried chili peppers, red pepper flakes, garlic and shallot. Saute for about 30 seconds until fragrant, careful not to burn the garlic.
4. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the red pepper slices. Cook for 3-5 minutes until slightly softened.
5. Add the beef broth and continue cooking another 5 minutes.
6. Mix the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl. Pour into the skillet and mix until creamy and thickened.
7. Add the beef back into the skillet, stir and season to taste with salt and pepper.
8. Add the rice to individual serving bowls, top with the beef and red pepper mixture.
9. Fry the 4 eggs in the same skillet the beef cooked in (adding extra coconut oil if needed) and place them on top of the beef mixture once cooked.
10. Top with chopped green onions and serve.

Della Rice is available at ShopRite and other grocery stores nationwide. 

*This post is sponsored by Della Rice. All content and opinions are my own.