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5 from 1 vote

Korean-style Steak Lettuce Wraps

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: dinner
Cuisine: Asian, korean
Keyword: cucumbers, garlic, ginger, gluten free, korean paste, korean red pepper paste, korean style, lettuce wraps, pear, steak
Servings: 4 people
Author: GFchow @ gfchow.com

Ingredients

  • Romaine or Bibb Lettuce Leaves
  • 1/2 Asian or Bosc pear peeled and grated
  • 1/2 onion red or yellow, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 inch ginger root minced (or use 1 frozen ginger cube available at Trader Joe’s)
  • 1 tablespoon peanut oil
  • 1 pound beef top round sandwich steak diced into 1” cubes (or shaved steak)
  • Salt and pepper to season steak
  • 2 teaspoons gluten free soy sauce I use San-J
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons gochujang Korean red peppere paste* or less according to your spice tolerance level, I use O’Food brand
  • 2/3 cup beef or chicken stock
  • 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

Garnish Options

  • 2 scallions whites and greens, chopped
  • 1 jalapeno sliced
  • sesame seeds
  • 1 cup cooked white or brown rice

Instructions

  • Peel and grate pear on a wide tooth grater.
  • Chop onion. Mince garlic and ginger.
  • Heat skillet over medium-high to high heat.
  • Add oil to the pan. Once shimmering, add steak and cook until browned, turning occasionally (approx 3 minutes). Season with salt and pepper.
  • Turn down heat to medium and add pear, onions, garlic and ginger. Cook a couple of minutes until onions soften, another 3 minutes or so.
  • Add soy sauce, Worcestershire, Korean red pepper paste, stock, sugar and sesame oil. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer, 10 to 15 minutes, until sauce begins to thicken.

Assembly

  • To assemble lettuce wraps, place rice (white or brown) inside each lettuce leaf and top with 2-3 big spoonfuls of steak.
  • Top with jalapeno slices, sesame seeds and/or sliced scallions. All garnishes are optional.

Notes

*Make sure to look at the ingredients on the red pepper paste container. Many brands contain wheat. This brand does not but states it is” manufactured in a facility that processes wheat.” If you are unable to tolerate this, please do not use this brand. If you have a problem finding gluten free Korean red pepper paste, here is a recipe for a homemade, gluten free red pepper paste: https://minimalistbaker.com/easy-gochujang-sauce-korean-chili-paste/.  (Note:  I have not tried the homemade red pepper paste recipe).
There are many substitution options with this recipe. The original recipe calls for ground beef which results in a sloppy joe consistency. Ground chicken or turkey can be used as well if you prefer more of a sloppy joe style. Or consider chicken (white or dark meat) or firm tofu instead of the diced steak.
If you can't find Asian or Bosc pear, peel and grate 1/2 an apple instead.
To complete the dish, make a batch of delicious quick-style Korean pickles to serve with the lettuce wraps. Recipe on GFchow: Quick-style Korean Pickles.