Guyanese Fried Rice with Korean Beef

This is the perfect make-ahead meal. You can cook the rice and marinate the beef the night before. It’s simple to assemble for lunch or dinner!

Guyanese fried rice is a great dish I ate growing up. I decided to prepare it with Korean-style beef to bring together my husband’s culture with my own.

What’s Guyanese Fried Rice?

Guyana is a former British colony located in South America with an eclectic cuisine influenced by its diverse population. My great-grandparents emigrated from India to Guyana as indentured laborers. My parents were born and raised in Guyana, so I grew up eating Guyanese food.

Guyanese fried rice is an Asian fusion stir fry with vegetables. My recipe has an ingredient unique to Guyana: cassareep

What is Cassareep?

Pronounced as “kaz-rip” – cassareep (also spelled “casareep”)is an earthy bitter-sweet sauce made from the cassava, also known as yuca, root. It is very dark brown with a consistency similar to molasses. It gives the rice a depth of flavor and beautiful color. Cassareep originates from the indigenous community in Guyana and is an integral ingredient in other Guyanese recipes – enjoyed by all.

Where can I purchase Cassareep?

Cassareep can be found at your local West Indian store. However, as most things, it can be purchased online. I’ve seen it available on Amazon and Insta-Cart.

What if I don’t have Cassareep and am unable to purchase it?

Skip it. Just add one more Tbs of soy sauce. However, I highly recommend using cassareep in this recipe when available.

What’s Korean Beef?

This is my interpretation of Korean-style beef. It’s a stir fry of beef marinated in garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, and the main ingredient: gochujang.

What is Gochujang?

Gochujang is a Korean fermented red chili paste. It is a spicy sweet paste that adds great flavor and heat.

Where can I find Gochujang?

Gochujang can be found at a local Asian market, H-Mart, and online.

Guyanese Fried Rice with Korean Beef

4-6 servings

Note: It is recommended to cook the rice and marinate the beef the night before. Assembly is quick and easy.

Ingredients

Rice

• 2 cups of long grain rice, washed
• 4 cups of water
• 2 Tbs soy sauce
• 1 Tsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbs fish sauce
• 1 Tbs of a neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable (I’ve used olive oil because that’s all I had and it didn’t ruin the recipe)

Beef

• 1 lb of boneless beef, cut into thin pieces. (Recommended cut of beef – skirt steak. However, I’ve used beef chuck cut into small pieces, but it will take longer to cook versus skirt steak)
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• Appx 4 inches of fresh ginger, minced
• 1 TBS of Indian Sofrito*
• 1/4 cup of gochujang
• 1 TBS of soy sauce
• Kosher salt to taste
• 2 TBS of a neutral oil, canola or vegetable
• 10 oz frozen mixed vegetables

*Note: Check out my Indian Sofrito recipe here. It’s easy to keep in the fridge and add to other recipes. Trust me: it’s worth the extra effort. If you don’t have time to prepare it, skip it.

Procedure

Rice

1. Combine rice and water in a pot
2. Add soy sauce, fish sauce, cassareep, sesame oil, and oil.
3. Stir.
4. Add bay leaves.
5. Cover and turn heat on high. When the water reaches a boil, lower heat to a low setting and cook until rice is fully cooked, or water is absorbed.
6. Remove bay leaves
7. Let rice cool for a few hours or refrigerate overnight.

Beef

1. Combine in a bowl: beef, garlic, ginger, Indian Sofrito*, soy sauce, sesame oil, gochujang, and salt
2. Transfer to air tight container and refrigerate for a few hours to overnight.

Assembly

1. Heat oil in wok or pan on medium to high heat
2. Add marinated beef
3. Stir beef until fully cooked. Cooking time will vary on the cut of beef used. The thinner and smaller the cut of beef, the faster it will cook.
4. Add frozen vegetables
5. Stir until vegetables are cooked
6. Add rice
7. Stir until fully combined
8. Enjoy!

*DISCLAIMER* By no means do I have marble countertop as shown in the first photo. The purpose of this blog is to show that quality home-cooked meals are accessible. Serving big flavor in a tiny space. Check out a glimpse of my reality below.