Recipe: Korean-Style Elk and Mushroom Bowl

There is something to be said about meals that comfort, are easy to make and pop with bold flavor. Modern society is hooked on fast food, whether purchased in a restaurant, food court or a box to transform ground meat into a quick meal at home.

A recent trip to the food court inspired a Korean-style rice bowl topped with elk, mushroom and savory flavor. The total time required to whip up this scrumptious meal is equivalent to the time it takes to prepare a pot of short-grain rice.

Put the rice on to cook, and start heating the frying pan for the meat. Everything will cook simultaneously, allowing it to be plated right off the stovetop.

It is easy to diversify this recipe by adding onion, peas, toasted peanuts or shredded carrot. You can make a different bowl for everyone around the table without having to cook them all separately. Assemble your bowl with the ingredients and sides that each would like, including some traditional kimchee.

Ingredients
• 1½ lbs. ground elk
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
• ⅓ cup sodium soy sauce
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced 
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced, 1 reserved for garnish
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• short-grain sticky rice—cooked as directed (In a pinch, any rice will do, including a long-grain Basmati rice.)

Directions
1. In a measuring cup, whisk together brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, red pepper flakes and ginger.

2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large Camp Chef cast-iron frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook, constantly stirring for about 1 minute. Add ground elk and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to crumble the ground meat, so there are not big pieces or lumps.

3. Stir in soy sauce mixture and green onions until well combined, and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for a minute to absorb any extra liquid.

4. Place rice in a serving bowl, top with the elk and mushroom crumble, and garnish with green onion and sesame seeds.

*Instead of grating the fresh ginger, peel and cut into small chunks that can be squeezed in a garlic press. If you like heat, add more crushed red pepper flakes when preparing the ingredients.

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