Sambal Minced Beef with Fried Egg and Bok Choy

This month's #MISSDISH recipe is the perfect dish for the start of Fall. Savory, comforting, and bursting with flavor. Ground beef becomes the most satisfying dish when it's cooked in an amazing combination of Sambal, soy, a little sugar, and fish sauce. Fish sauce adds tons of umami to this dish. The minced beef is amazing with an egg on top. I personally love a sunny-side-up egg, which is cooked on one side until the white is set, but the yolk is still runny. Mixing the runny yolk with the minced beef is BOMB. Let's get cookin :)

What You Need:

3 tsp sugar
3 tsp Thai chile paste or Sambal. I used Huy Fong Sambal Oelek, about $2 a jar
3 tsp fish sauce (Red Boat is the best brand)
3 tsp lower sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp canola oil, divided
3 garlic cloves, minced
12 oz lean ground beef (You can use ground turkey or even chicken as well!)
3/4 tsp crushed red pepper
4 small baby bok choy
eggs for serving
cooked rice
optional: green onion for garnish

What To Do:

In a bowl, combine the 3 tsp sugar, 3 tsp Sambal, 3 tsp fish sauce, 3 tsp soy sauce.

Mince the garlic.
Wash and dry the bok choy, slicing them lengthwise into halves or quarters, depending on their size.
Heat a large cast-iron skillet (or regular skillet) over high heat. Drizzle 2 tsp canola oil into the skillet and swirl to coat. Add the garlic and let it fry for a few seconds.

Add the ground beef to the pan, quickly allowing the meat to sear. Stir-fry for about a minute, breaking up the beef into tiny pieces as it cooks. Pour the sauce mixture into the skillet and stir to incorporate. Turn the heat down to medium.

Don't overcook the beef. If you let the beef finish on medium heat, it will still remain tender and juicy. The sauce will thicken slightly. You can lightly season with salt and pepper if you wish. Remove the beef from the pan, covering to keep it warm.
In the same pan, add 1 1/2 tsp canola oil and crushed red pepper. Allow the oil to heat, and add the bok choy. It's nice to get a good sear on the bok choy. Turn and cook the bok choy for a few minutes until crisp-tender.

Serve the beef and bok choy over cooked brown or white rice. All you've gotta do now is fry up an egg! :) I like garnishing this dish with another sprinkle of crushed red pepper and thin slivers of green onion for bite. Mix it all up and your tummy and taste buds will be so happy :)

You can add extra sambal if you like it extra spicy, or add sriracha on your eggs - this dish has so much depth of flavor and the addition of the fried egg is the perfect pairing with the minced beef and rice. The crisp bok choy tops everything off :) This is a great dish for dinner. It's incredibly affordable and can be doubled (or tripled) for a large group! Have an amazing week and thanks for reading :)