If you haven’t yet caught the craze about Korean cuisine, let’s start here. In this recipe we are going to make lettuce wraps with Bulgogi Beef which is a popular Korean recipe.
I got to learn about Korean culture once I started watching some extremely popular K-drams like ‘Crash Landing on You’ and I got hooked. Eventually Korean recipes started popping up more and more on my social feeds and for long I wanted to start making some Korean inspired recipe.
This Bulgogi recipe is me second Korean cuisine recipe, before that I made Slow Cooker Korean Beef which was a hit!
You might think this recipe will call for difficult to find ingredients, that’s not the case.
Every ingredient I used is readily available and maybe even something already lurking with the contents of your fridge or pantry.
P.S. This recipe calls for a special chili sauce called gochujang i.e. a Korean chili paste sauce. I recommend you buy one from Amazon because it tastes amazing and can be used in many other recipes. In case you don’t have that then use any other chili sauce or simply skip that.
It’s time to make Bulgogi Beef Lettuce Wraps
NOTE: Check out the printable recipe card below for actual ingredient quantities and detailed steps.
What you’ll need to make Bulgogi Lettuce Wraps…
1| Flank steaks – marinated slices, grilled on a barbecue or on a stove-top griddle. We are going to cooked in a skillet to keep the process easy and simple.
2| Marination – this is the most important part and after few trial and error the combination I am mentioning works wonderful. Tamari, coconut sugar, green onions, minced garlic, sesame seeds, toasted sesame oil and black pepper. Instead tamari many also use soy sauce, and you can also use it in case tamari is not available. Usually brown sugar is used, but coconut sugar works to well in this recipe you can use any.
3| Marinate the steak at least for 1 hour if you are in hurry, but ideally I will marinate overnight.
4| Next steps are quite straight forward, in a large skillet cook the marinated beef including the marination for 6-7 minute on high flame until cooked through.
5| It’s time to assemble the wraps, on a leaf of lettuce create a bed of cooked rice then cooked beef top it with sliced cucumber, carrots and red onion. Drizzle over the gochujang chili sauce and sprinkle some sesame seeds.
Can you make them low carb…
Skipping the rice will make this recipe low carb, paleo and keto. I tried it once with cauliflower rice, but did not like the combination too well but that’s a personal opinion you can try it with cauli rice and let me know how you liked it.
What other meat might work?
Usually Bulgogi is made with beef, but you can also try it with lamb, pork, chicken and I have heard even shrimps works well for this recipe. Never tried, please let us know in the comments in case you tried any other way. Also I think you can also create a vegetarian version with shiitake mushrooms or portobello mushrooms.
Bulgogi Beef Lettuce Wraps
Bulgogi Beef, marinated in tamari, coconut sugar, sesame oil based marinade and cooked in a skillet. Served in lettuce leaves on a bed of rice, topped with sliced vegetables and with a drizzle of gochunjang.
Ingredients
What you need to do...
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Slice the steak into thin strips. You can slightly freeze it first to make it easier to cut.
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In a small mixing bowl, add the tamari, coconut sugar, green onions, minced garlic, sesame seeds, toasted sesame oil and black pepper. Mix well to combine.
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Place the sliced beef in a container and pour over the marinade, mix to combine and cover with a lid. Place into the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, but ideally overnight to intensity the flavor.
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When ready to cook, heat a large skillet over a medium/high heat and cook the beef, along with the marinade, for 6-7 minutes, until cooked through.
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To assemble the wraps, lay out a leaf of lettuce, top with the cooked rice, beef, cucumber, carrot, and red onion. Drizzle over the gochujang chili sauce and serve.
Nutrition Facts
Servings 8
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 323kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 12g19%
- Total Carbohydrate 26g9%
- Dietary Fiber 2g8%
- Protein 28g57%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
