In Korean culture it is common for lettuce leaves to be served with certain dinners. These leaves take the place of bread and are used in much the same way. Pieces of food are picked up and eaten with the leaves. It was with that in mind, and based on a suggestion from my wife that I came up with these Ginger Beef Lettuce Wraps.
In this recipe the lettuce is replacing a tortilla, pita, or even spring roll wrapper, to make a delicious low-carb dinner. To be clear, I didn't use lettuce because it is low-carb. I used it because it is super delicious and it just happens to be low-carb.
This recipe is composed of Ginger Beef that is warped in bibb lettuce, with fresh vegetables and topped with sriracha mayo. These things are going to blow your mind. They are crazy delicious and much more filling than you think they would be. There is an added bonus that if you have kids, they can build their own wraps making it fun too.
Alright, let's take a look at how to make...
6:40 pm
At 6:40 I started cooking dinner. The first thing I did was make the sauce for the ginger beef.
Just like last week, for some reason my first few pictures didn't save. So, I'm sorry for that.
For the sauce I combined 1 clove of minced garlic, 2 tablespoon minced ginger, 3 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon mirin, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, and 1 tablespoon sambal chili sauce.
Once this was all mixed up I set it aside and started on the sriracha mayo.
6:46 pm
For the sriracha mayo I combined ¼ cup mayo, 2 tablespoon sriracha, 3-4 drops of fish sauce, and 1 tablespoon sugar. I mixed this all together and set it aside as well.
As a side note, this sauce is great on almost anything. It will jazz up any sandwich or burger.
6:49 pm
At 6:49 I started slicing up the vegetables for the rolls. I started by peeling and slicing a carrot. Then I sliced 1 celery stalk, ½ a red pepper, and ¼ of a cucumber.
6:56 pm
At 6:56 I was done slicing all of the vegetables for the lettuce rolls. It was now time to get going on the beef. First I had to slice 2 green onions, keeping the green and white parts separate.
At this point I turned on the wok to preheat it and then started slicing the beef.
The beef I used was a New York strip loin, however there are lots of other cuts you can use including sirloin, rib eye, or flank.
I cut the steak into smaller pieces following the grain. I then sliced the beef into thin strips, cutting across the grain.
Meat is cut across the grain as it shortens the muscle fibres making them easier to eat. If you cut with the grain, the meat will be very tough.
7:01 pm
At 7:01 I added 1-2 tablespoon of canola oil to the wok, along with 1 tablespoon sesame oil. I then added the beef and seared it. After cooking the meat for about 2 minutes I added the sauce. I cooked the meat and sauce until the sauce was thick and coated the meat. This took about four minutes.
I finished the beef by tossing in the green onion tops.
While the sauce was reducing I pulled the lettuce leaves apart and gently washed and dried them.
Finally, it was time to eat.
7:08 pm
I took three leaves of bibb lettuce and topped them with the sriracha mayo, fresh vegetables, meat and finally some fresh cilantro.
7:10 pm
By 7:10 the pictures were taken, and I was happily eating.
Conclusion
These Ginger Beef Lettuce Wraps are both filling and delicious. They also provide a nice change to the regular dinner schedule.
The ginger beef itself would be just as great served with rice and steamed or stir-fried broccoli. And again, that sriarcha mayo works on just about anything.
One of my favourite parts of doing this blog is not only introducing people to new ideas and new ways of doing things but reminding myself of how much I love things like this. I will be making these again in the very near future and I'm guessing you will be too.
Ingredients
Ginger Beef Sauce
- 1 clove Garlic, Minced
- 2 tablespoon Minced Ginger
- 3 tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Honey
- 1 tablespoon Mirin
- 1 tablespoon Sesame Oil
- 1 tablespoon Sambal Chili Sauce
Sriracha Mayo
- ¼ cup Mayo
- 2 tablespoon Sriracha
- 3-4 drops Fish Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Sugar
Ginger Beef
- 1 lb New York Stirploin
- 2 ea Green Onions. whites and greens separate, and thinly sliced
- 1 batch Ginger Beef Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Sesame Oil
- 2 tablespoon Canola Oil
Salad Rolls
- 1 head Bibb Lettuce, Washed and Dried
- 1 ea Carrot, Peeled and thinly sliced
- ½ ea Red Bell Pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 ea Celery Stalk, thinly sliced
- ¼ ea Cucumber, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup Cilantro Leaves
- 1 batch Ginger Beef
- 1 batch Sriracha Mayo
Instructions
Ginger Beef Sauce
- Combine all ingredients and set aside
Sriracha Mayo
- Combine all ingredients and set aside
Ginger Beef
- Heat a wok on high heat
- Add the sesame and canola oils
- Sauté the beef until browned
- Add the white bits of the green onion and cook for one minute
- Add the ginger beef sauce and cook for four to five minutes or until thick
- Finish the beef by tossing in the green bits of the green onion
Ginger Beef Salad Rolls
- Top the lettuce leaves with sriracha mayo
- Then add the vegetables
- Finally, add the beef and cilantro leaves
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