This crispy beef mince is bound to become a new favourite! This is the perfect budget friendly, simple, and tasty weeknight/easy meal. With flavourful beef mince that has a nice lightly caramelised crust… this is definitely a must try.
Now I am not a fan of labelling recipes ‘lazy’ meals. If you don’t feel like cooking, that doesn’t make you lazy! However, if you really do not want to cook, this crispy beef mince would definitely fall into the typical ‘lazy’ category. All done in one pan, ready in less than 20 minutes, you really can’t get much easier than this!
Key Ingredients
- Beef mince is the protein of this dish and the star of the show. Crispy beef mince may not sound appealing at first but trust me, as someone with food sensory sensitivity, the texture is amazing. The mince is still juicy but has a nice slight crust on the outside. It compliments the sauce and the peanuts so well. I recommend using lean mince if possible, to avoid having to drain too much fat.
- Bok choy is perfect for adding an element of freshness to this dish. This balances out beautifully with the caramelised umami flavours from the sauces.
- Spring onion brings a nice slightly sweet mellow flavour similar to onions. They also contribute to the element of freshness and pop of green alongside the bok choy.
- Garlic is the aromatic used. It brings another level of depth to the taste of the crispy beef mince, building the base flavour. Whilst it is not a key element, it is definitely important to the overall taste.
- Oyster sauce brings a rich savoury flavour to the mince. It’s slightly sweet, salty, and briny. It is far less fishier and saltier than fish sauce, so don’t let this sauces name put you off.
- Sesame oil adds depth to the base of the sauce. It is fragrant, slightly nutty, and earthy – perfect balance for the soy sauce and oyster sauce.
- Soy sauce brings the dominant savoury flavour. It’s salty and contributes to this dish with its umami punch. Soy sauce and oyster sauce are a great combination for simple dishes like this crispy beef mince.
- Brown sugar is perfect for balancing out the saltiness of the soy sauce, and compliments the oyster sauce. Using brown sugar helps the beef mince crisp without having a burnt flavour, and aids in a light caramelised texture that is amazing.
- Seasonings are simple yet impactful in this recipe. Here you will only need garlic and onion powder, two of the most common household seasonings. They help aid the other ingredients in building a base flavour.
How to make this crispy beef mince
Brown the beef mince.
Place the beef mince into a deep pan on medium heat. Use a spatula to break the beef mince into small separate pieces. Cook this until the meat is browned. Spoon any excess fat out of the pan.
Chop up the greens.
Cut the lower quarter off of the bok choy bulbs (as this can be a bit watery). Then thinly slice both the bok choy and spring onion.
Build the base flavours.
Peel the garlic, then crush it into the pan with the beef mince. Shake the onion powder, and garlic powder to the pan too. Mix these in and leave for a minute or so.
Add the remaining ingredients.
Pour the oyster sauce, sesame oil and soy sauce. Stir so that everything is integrated and the mince is coated. Then add the spring onion and bok choy.
Make the beef mince crispy.
Turn the heat to high. Press the beef mince contents flat into the pan. Leave alone for a few minutes, so that the beef mince starts to crisp. Then stir/flip so another layer of mince is on the bottom of the pan. Repeat the above step a few times, until there is a nice overall slight crispy texture to the beef.
Serve the crispy beef mince.
Serve with rice, or your choice of carb/vegetable, and enjoy!
Storage
This crispy beef mince is great to have as lunch or dinner the next day. If you have leftovers, you are going to want to let the dish cool to lukewarm. Then place it in the fridge in an airtight container, where it should stay fresh for up to 3 days.
What to serve crispy beef mince with.
This crispy beef mince can be a great topping for a variety of things. You could go for noodles or rice, or even simply serving with your choice of vegetables. If you are vegetarian/vegan, swapping beef mince for crumbled tofu could work well too!
More mince recipes:
Alrighty, are you ready to make this super simple crispy beef mince? Come on, you only need a few ingredients, and it shouldn’t hurt the bank account either! Let’s get you cooking, enjoy.
Crispy Beef Mince
Ingredients
- 1 bunch spring onion
- 2 bulbs bok choy large
- 500 g beef mince
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp brown suagr
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
Instructions
- Place the beef mince into a deep pan on medium heat.
- Use a spatula to break the beef mince into small separate pieces. Cook this until the meat is browned. Spoon any excess fat out of the pan.
- Chop off the lower quarter of the bok choy bulbs. Then thinly slice both the bok choy and spring onion.
- Add crushed garlic, onion powder, and garlic powder to the pan. Mix these in and leave for a minute or so.
- Pour in the oyster sauce, brown sugar, and soy sauce. Stir so that everything is integrated. Then add the spring onion and bok choy.
- Turn the heat to high. Press the beef mince contents flat into the pan.
- Leave alone for a few minutes, so that the beef mince starts to crisp. Then stir/flip so another layer of mince is on the bottom of the pan.
- Repeat the above step a few times, until there is a nice overall slight crispy texture to the beef.
- Serve with your choice of rice, noodles or vegetable, and enjoy!
