Korean Beef Lettuce Wraps with Coconut Rice
Korean food is something I don’t make very often as I am usually intimidated by the ingredients or don’t seem to have a lot of them. I recently went out of my comfort zone and bought some gochugung paste after seeing a chef cook with it on the Food Network channel and thought I would give it a try. I love all things spicy and gochuhang is a Korean chili paste with a sweet and savory flavor. I got creative in the kitchen with it and that’s where this recipe was born! All the other ingredients in this dish are my normal staple grocery buys and things I keep in my pantry. If you have been following me for a while, you would know that I’m all about quick, flavorful dinners that require minimal ingredients and this recipe is just that!
To make the Korean beef lettuce wraps, I cook up some Laura’s Lean™ ground beef with a couple of aromatics, add in my sweet and spicy chili glaze and then let everything simmer for a little while I make coconut rice. The whole dish comes together in less than 30 minutes! I used my go-to ground beef, Laura’s Lean, because it is healthy and I know exactly where it comes from. All their beef is all natural, their cattle has no antibiotics or growth hormones and fed an all vegetarian diet. With all everything going on with the virus right now, it has been nice to order my beef online, directly from her site, so I can avoid going to the grocery store.
This recipe is such a delicious one and I have a feeling it will be on rotation in our house for a while now! My husband could not get enough of these lettuce wraps! I hope you guys enjoy them!
I was asked by Carusele to participate in this campaign, sponsored by Laura’s Lean. Although I have been compensated, all opinions are my own.
Korean Beef Lettuce Wraps with Coconut Rice
- Prep Time: 10m
- Cook Time: 20m
- Total Time: 30m
- Serves: 2
Ingredients
- 1 lb Laura’s Lean™ Ground Beef
- 4 scallions, white and green parts separate
- 1 tbsp. garlic, minced, about 3 cloves
- 1 tbsp. ginger, minced, about 1inch chunk
- 1 head bib lettuce, washed and torn into cups
Sauce
- 1/3 c soy sauce
- 2 tbsp. honey
- 1 tbsp. sesame oil
- 3 tbsp. gochugang paste
Coconut Rice
- 14 oz can coconut milk
- 1 1/4 c water
- 1 1/2 c jasmine rice
- 1 tbsp. sugar
Toppings
- 1 seedless cucumber, about ¼ cup thinly sliced
- basil leaves, optional
- 1 tbsp. sesame seeds, optional
Instructions
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat with 1 tablespoon of avocado oil. When the skillet is hot, add in the ground beef. Cook the beef for 8-10 minutes, until completely browned and no longer pink.
- While the beef is cooking, make the sauce for the meat. Combine the soy sauce, honey, sesame oil and gochugang paste in a bowl. Whisk everything together until it is a cohesive mixture. Set aside until ready to use.
- When the meat is cooked, add the white parts of the scallions, ginger and garlic. Cook everything together for another 2-3 minutes then pour in the sauce. Lower the heat to medium low and let the sauce simmer with the beef mixture for another 8-10 minutes.
- To make the coconut rice: pour the coconut milk, water, sugar and pinch of salt into a saucepan. Turn the heat to medium and whisk everything together. When the sugar has dissolved (it should only take a minute) pour in the rice.
- Bring the rice to a boil then cover and reduce to the heat to medium low and simmer. Cook the rice for 18-22 minutes until tender. When the rice is done, remove from heat, but leave the lid on. Let the rice steam for 5 minutes then fluff with a fork. Toss with the green scallions.
- Make the lettuce cups: Take a large leaf of bib lettuce and scoop a couple tablespoons of the meat mixture on top. If the lettuce leaves are small, you can put 2 together to make a larger “cup”. Top the beef with a couple of slices of fresh cucumber and a basil leaf. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve alongside the coconut rice. Enjoy!
xo, Rachel
