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ground beef and rice skillet topped with parsley and lime slices
5 from 6 votes

Ground Beef and Rice Skillet

Blog: www.nextinlime.com

Author: Nelo
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil - or any cooking oil
  • 5 cloves garlic - minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger - grated or minced
  • 1 medium (200 g) onion - chopped
  • 1 pound (454 g) ground beef - aka beef mince (Note A)
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 3 teaspoons salt - adjust to taste
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1.5 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1.5 teaspoons ground coriander - aka coriander powder
  • 1 pinch ground cinnamon
  • 2 medium bell peppers - aka capsicum. Diced. Any color
  • 4 small fresh green chilies - finely chopped, I prefer Thai chili (Note B)
  • 2.5 cups water
  • 1 small bay leaf
  • 2 tablespoons vinegar
  • 2 cups (380 g) long grain white rice - parboiled varieties preferred (Note C)

Optional Garnishes

  • chopped parsley
  • sliced lime

Instructions

  • Rinse the rice under cold running water using a fine mesh strainer until the water runs clear. Then soak in room temperature water for 30 minutes (see. Note C). Strain after soaking.
  • Meanwhile heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add minced garlic, grated ginger, chopped onion. Saute 3 to 4 minutes or until the onions become translucent. Stir constantly.
  • Then add ground beef, tomato paste, salt, pepper, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground cinnamon. Mix well and cook 12 minutes. Break up any lumps with your spoon/spatula. Stir frequently.
  • Mix in diced bell peppers and chopped green chilies, cook 3 more minutes.
  • Next add water, bay leaf, vinegar and cover the skillet with a lid. Bring to a boil over high heat.
  • Once boiling, add drained rice, give a quick mix and cover again.
  • Cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until most (not all) of the water is absorbed by the rice.
  • Then give a gentle mix – you should still see a little bit of liquid in there. Cover the skillet again and reduce the heat to lowest setting you have. Let it steam for exactly 15 minutes. It's important not to remove the lid during this time.
  • Next – turn the heat off, remove the skillet from burner but don't remove the lid yet. Let the rice rest covered for 10 minutes so it can finish cooking with the residual heat.
  • Garnish with chopped parsley and/or lime slices (dont forget to squeeze some lime juice on top). Enjoy!

Notes

Note A: Ground beef – if using frozen meat, thaw completely before you start cooking. Lean options work fine but I like the added flavor from a bit of fat. Any fat % will do.
Note B: Chilies – while I like thai chilies for a nice (not crazy) kick, you can use milder options like jalapenos. Or perhaps reduce the quantity.
Note C: Rice – I prefer parboiled rice because its more forgiving in case of accidental overcooking – less likely to become mushy that is. But, parboiled varieties need longer soak time – 2 hours in room temperature water or 1 hour in warm water.
Note D: Helpful content – click on the links below for related useful content in the main body of the post.
Note E: Related – try this ground beef risotto next.