What's the best lettuce to use?

I like to use baby gem lettuce for cute mini wraps, but you can use any lettuce that has reasonably soft and pliable leaves. You want to be able to pick up the wraps without the lettuce cracking, so stay away from anything super crunchy, like iceberg lettuce.

How spicy are the wraps?

They're reasonably mild - gochujang paste does have a hit of spice, but it's balanced out by the sweet chilli and honey. If you're worried, you can reduce the amount of gochujang you use to 1/2 a tablespoon. Taste the beef once it's finished cooking and mixed with the sauce - if it's too spicy, you can mix some more honey in to balance out the flavour.

Can I make them ahead of time?

This is a great meal prep recipe. You can prepare all the elements, and then just assemble the wraps when you're ready to serve. The sticky beef will keep well for 5 days in the fridge, and the chopped vegetables will be fine for 5 days too.

Sticky Korean Ground Beef Lettuce Wraps

Name: Sticky Korean Ground Beef Lettuce Wraps
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: asian
Ingredients: 1lb/500g ground beef (beef mince); 1 tablespoon sesame oil; 4 garlic cloves, crushed; 1-inch piece of ginger, grated (or 1 teaspoon ginger paste/ground ginger); 1 teaspoon white pepper; ¼ cup soy sauce; 1 tablespoon gochujang paste; 2 teaspoons sweet chilli jam (plus more to serve); 1 tablespoon honey; 1 teaspoon rice vinegar; 2 baby gem lettuce; ½ a cucumber; 1 red bell pepper; 3 scallions (spring onions); A handful of coriander (or use mint, Thai basil or flat-leaf parsley); 1 tablespoon sesame seeds; 1/4 cup roasted peanuts (optional); 3 tablespoons gochujang aioli (optional)

Description

Juicy, gochujang laced beef, crunchy veggie toppings, a drizzle of spicy aioli and a soft, fresh lettuce leaf containing it all makes these sticky Korean ground beef lettuce wraps the perfect bite of deliciousness. They take just 20 minutes, use mainly cupboard staples and are easy to adapt, based on what you have to hand.

Ingredients

Units Scale

1lb/500g ground beef (beef mince)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1-inch piece of ginger, grated (or 1 teaspoon ginger paste/ground ginger)
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon gochujang paste
2 teaspoons sweet chilli jam (plus more to serve)
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
2 baby gem lettuce
1/2 a cucumber
1 red bell pepper
3 scallions (spring onions)
A handful of coriander (or use mint, Thai basil or flat-leaf parsley)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1/4 cup roasted peanuts (optional)
3 tablespoons gochujang aioli (optional)

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Instructions

Prepare your toppings. Slice your cucumber in half lengthways, and scoop out the seeds with a small spoon. Slice into small cubes. Slice your bell pepper in half, then remove the middle and seeds. Cut into small dice. Finely slice your scallions. Separate the lettuce leaves from their stems and wash them well, then pat dry with a kitchen towel.
Mix the sauce. Add 1/4 cup of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of gochujang paste, 1 tablespoon of honey, 2 teaspoons of sweet chilli jam, 1 teaspoon of rice vinegar and 1 teaspoon of ground white pepper to a bowl and mix to combine. Set aside.
Cook the ground beef. Set a frying pan over medium-high heat, then add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. Add the ground beef and break it up with a wooden spoon, then let it sit and cook for a couple of minutes on one side. Stir the beef, cook for another minute, then add the 4 crushed garlic cloves and the grated ginger. Stir through the beef.
Add the sauce. Once the beef is browned, pour in the sauce and stir it through the beef, until it’s well coated. Cook, stirring for another 3 minutes, until the sauce thickens up nicely. Taste, and add a little more salt or honey if you think it needs it.
Assemble the cups. Lay out the washed and dried lettuce cups on a plate, then top with a few heaped tablespoons of ground beef. Scatter over a little of the diced cucumber, red pepper and scallions, then top with the sesame seeds, cilantro, roasted peanuts and a drizzle of gochujang aioli (if you’re using them). Serve right away.

Notes

INGREDIENT NOTES: This is a great recipe to adapt to whatever you have to hand. Add more vegetables – shredded cabbage or carrot would be great, as would avocado, bean sprouts, edamame beans, corn or really any crunchy vegetables that might be hanging out in your fridge drawer. Gochujang paste is a very delicious fermented Korean chilli paste and can be found in the international/Asian aisle of large grocery stores, or you can find it on Amazon.

SUBSTITUTIONS: Swap the ground beef for ground pork, chicken or turkey if you like. If you can’t find gochujang paste, use sriracha or another chilli sauce. Use black pepper if you don’t have white pepper.

STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: The beef mix will keep well for 5 days, stored in the fridge, as will the chopped vegetables. You can also freeze the beef – just defrost it overnight in the fridge, on the counter or gently on the stovetop.

SWITCH IT UP: You could serve the beef and vegetables over steamed rice to make a loaded rice bowl, chop the lettuce and serve it as a loaded salad bowl or toss the beef through vermicelli or soba noodles to make a noodle salad if you like.

Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 10
Category: fakeaways
Method: stove top
Cuisine: asian

Nutrition

Serving Size: 2 wraps
Calories: 342
Sugar: 11g
Sodium: 819.7mg
Fat: 13.6g
Saturated Fat: 3.2g
Unsaturated Fat: 9.5g
Trans Fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 22g
Fiber: 5.5g
Protein: 35.1g
Cholesterol: 75mg

Keywords: lettuce wraps, low carb wraps