Korean Beef Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 0.5 medium onion (diced)
• 1 can water chestnuts (drained and diced)
• 0.25 cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 garlic (cloves, pressed)
• 0.5 tbsp ginger (minced)
• 0.5 tbsp sesame oil
• 0.5 tsp garlic powder
• 0.5 tsp onion powder
• 0.25 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 2 tsp water (for the cornstarch slurry)
• 1 head butter lettuce (cored; leaves gently removed, rinsed, and dried)
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 3 green onions (sliced)
• 0.25 cup spicy mayonnaise (for drizzling, if desired)
• yum yum sauce (for drizzling, if desired; use instead of spicy mayonnaise)

Steps

1. 1

   Prepare the Korean sauce by combining the soy sauce, brown sugar, pressed garlic, minced ginger, sesame oil, garlic powder, onion powder, and crushed red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Whisk until combined.

2. 2

   In a separate bowl, mix the cornstarch and water until they form a thin paste. Stir the paste into the Korean sauce.

3. 3

   Brown the ground beef and diced onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking the meat apart with a spoon as it cooks, until the beef is no longer pink.

4. 4

   Stir the drained, diced water chestnuts into the cooked beef.

5. 5

   Add the Korean sauce to the beef and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce begins to thicken.

6. 6

   Core the butter lettuce and gently remove the leaves so they do not tear. Rinse the leaves and dry them.

7. 7

   Place a spoonful of the Korean beef in each lettuce leaf. Top with shredded carrots and sliced green onions. Drizzle with spicy mayonnaise or yum yum sauce, if desired, and serve immediately.

Notes

The recipe lists yum yum sauce without a quantity; use it as a drizzle to taste. The source also mentions optional variations such as using hoisin sauce or ground turkey, but those are not included in the core recipe.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• quick dinner
• 20-minute meal
• lettuce wraps
• ground beef
• East Asian-inspired
• one-pan
• family-friendly