The first thing I didn't like about this meal was that I had to buy a few ingredients that I didn't have in my pantry. I really like being able to use what is already in my pantry. The prep of this meal was super easy, and quick you can't beat dinner in less than 15-20 mins (I didn't really time it, I am just guesstimating how long it took).
How did it taste? Well, the kids weren't impressed. They didn't eat very much of it. As for the Adults, we liked the flavor of the meat, just unsure of how the cucumbers fit in. I thought the cucumbers would at a crisp crunch like water chestnuts do, but it wasn't quite like that. The sauce was similar to the taste of the sauce I use at HuHot. Which is probably due to the garlic and hoisin. I think I will keep the sauce recipe around and try making my own Asian dish with more veggies and some rice. That is our 2 cents on this meal, if you try it let me know what you thought of it!
On a side note, I forgot to buy the chili sauce. I just added a little garlic.
Asian Beef Cucumber Bowl (adapted from Real Simple’s Asian Beef and Mango Salad)
Ingredients
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 3/4 large onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp. hoisin sauce
- 2 tbsp. rice vinegar
- 2 tsp. chili sauce with garlic
- 2 tbsp. light soy sauce
- 1 extra large cucumber
- Sautee onion in a pan sprayed with cooking spray until tender
- Add beef and brown
- Add hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, chili sauce and soy sauce and let simmer for approximately 5 minutes
- Slice cucumber
- Top cucumber slices with beef mixture and enjoy!
