Beef Bahn Mi Bowls

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups Jasmine rice
• 2 small Persian Cucumbers
• 2 Limes
• 6 cloves garlic
• 2 yellow onions
• 3 carrots
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• sriracha to taste
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 4 Tablespoons ponzu sauce
• salt and pepper
• 4-1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter

Directions:

1. In a small pot, combine rice, 2-1/4 cups water, and a big pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until rice is tender, 15-20 minutes. Keep covered off heat until ready to serve. 
2. While rice cooks, wash and dry produce. Trim and halve cucumbers lengthwise; thinly slice crosswise into half-moons. Zest 1 lime and quarter both limes. Peel and finely chop garlic. Halve, peel, and cut onions into a medium dice. Trim, peel, and grate carrot on the largest holes of a box grater.
3. In a medium bowl, combine cucumber, juice from half the lime, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, and a pinch of salt. 
4. In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, a squeeze of lime juice, a pinch of garlic, and as much Sriracha as you'd like. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook, stirring, until softened, 4-5 minutes. Add beef, remaining garlic, and 4 teaspoons sugar. Cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until beef is browned and cooked through, 4-5 minutes. Stir in ponzu. Turn off heat; taste and season with salt and pepper.
6. Fluff rice with a fork; stir in lime zest and 1 tablespoon butter. Divide rice between bowls.  Arrange beef, grated carrot, and pickled cucumber (draining first) on top. Top with a squeeze of lime juice and drizzle with Sriracha mayo.