📋 Instructions

1. 1Mix the glaze — Whisk 60 g gochujang, 45 ml soy sauce, 20 g honey, and 20 g minced garlic in a small bowl until smooth. (The honey dissolves faster in soy sauce than in the thick paste alone.) The mixture should pour like heavy cream.
2. 2Brown the beef — Heat a 30 cm (12 in) skillet over medium-high heat, about 190°C (375°F), for 2 minutes. Add 900 g beef and press it flat; leave it 4 minutes until the underside is deep brown.
3. 3Break and finish browning — Break the beef into 2 cm pieces with a wooden spoon and cook 5 minutes more. (Pressing the meat against the pan builds crust, which is where the flavor lives.) It is done when no pink remains and the edges are crisp, 71°C (160°F) internal.
4. 4Add aromatics — Stir in the scallion whites and cook 60 seconds until fragrant. (Sixty seconds is enough; longer and they burn in the hot fat.) You should smell garlic and onion, not smoke.
5. 5Reduce the glaze — Pull the pan off the heat, pour in the glaze, and return it to medium heat for 3 minutes. (Off-heat addition keeps the sugar from scorching on contact.) The sauce is ready when it coats the beef and bubbles slowly at the edges.
6. 6Finish the beef — Remove from heat and stir in 15 g sesame oil. (Adding toasted oil at the end preserves its aroma, which heat destroys.) The beef should look glossy, not wet.
7. 7Cool the components — Spread the beef on a tray and the rice in a shallow dish; rest 15 minutes until both reach about 21°C (70°F). (Warm components steam inside sealed containers and spoil faster.) Nothing should feel warm to the back of your hand.
8. 8Pack the containers — Divide 600 g rice among six containers, 100 g each. Top with 120 g beef, then 33 g carrots, 25 g cucumber, and scallion greens. (Layering keeps wet vegetables off the rice.) Sprinkle 1.5 g sesame seeds on each.