Keyword: cucumbers, garlic, ginger, gluten free, korean paste, korean red pepper paste, korean style, lettuce wraps, pear, steak
Servings: 4people
Author: GFchow @ gfchow.com
Ingredients
Romaine or Bibb Lettuce Leaves
1/2Asian or Bosc pearpeeled and grated
1/2onionred or yellow, diced
2clovesgarlicminced
1/2inchginger rootminced (or use 1 frozen ginger cube available at Trader Joe’s)
1tablespoonpeanut oil
1poundbeef top round sandwich steakdiced into 1” cubes (or shaved steak)
Salt and pepper to season steak
2teaspoonsgluten free soy sauceI use San-J
2teaspoonsWorcestershire sauce
2 tablespoonsgochujang Korean red peppere paste*or less according to your spice tolerance level, I use O’Food brand
2/3cupbeef or chicken stock
2teaspoonslight brown sugar
2teaspoonstoasted sesame oil
Garnish Options
2scallionswhites and greens, chopped
1jalapenosliced
sesame seeds
1cupcooked 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.