Asian Steak Lettuce Wraps

My mom and several of the older sisters were able to travel to Korea for a "sister city" high school exchange program a number of years ago. On their travels they fell in love with the traditional Korean BBQ beef, bulgogi. In my moms traditional fashion she was wanted to recreate this dish for her whole family when she got back,  not being Korean or having any Asian culinary experience she created her own version which became a fast favorite in our family. We loved these tasty lettuce wraps and the versatility of them. I still request them for my birthday every year, so my husband has become a "Wixom-style bulgogi" master. I should give him credit for this post because all these pictures were taken when he actually made them.

To start off you need one recipe for our "Gresham Family Marinade." This is a marinade my grandfather created and we have used for years. This is a very basic marinade that is great on steak, chicken, and incredible on salmon. You can even use over chopped veggies before grilling.

Combine 3/4 cup olive oil and 2 tablespoons red wine or rice wine vinegar.

 

Add 1/4 a cup soy sauce, Braggs liquid aminos, or coconut aminos to the oil and vinegar. Add 3-4 tablespoons honey, 2 finely chopped green onions, 1-2 tablespoons fresh ginger or 2 teaspoons powdered ginger, and 6 cloves minced garlic. Stir to combine and pour over your protein of choice. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours but overnight if possible. 

Now for the lettuce wraps. Marinate one flank steak in the "Gresham Family Marinade." You can use any protein of choice in these lettuce wraps but flank steak has been our favorite.

After the flank steak has marinated place on the grill and cook to your desired doneness level. We like a nice medium to well done, around 10 minutes on each side for a flank steak.

While the steak is grilling prep your lettuce and toppings. Romaine, red leaf, green leaf, and butter (sometimes labeled Boston) lettuce are our favorites for these wraps. You will also need 3 cups of cooked rice or quinoa. You can choose your favorite vegetables for toppings, a few options are shredded carrots, chopped tomatoes, chopped green onions, chopped cucumber, chopped fresh or grilled pineapple, bamboo, and water chestnuts.

When the steak is cooked to your desire, take off the grill and let rest for 10 minutes and then thinly slice. To assemble your lettuce wrap, place 2-3 tablespoons of rice, your desired veggie toppings, and steak on the lettuce leaf.

Give everything a nice drizzle with Thai peanut sauce, then wrap and indulge. You can make your own peanut sauce or grab a bottle of your favorite. You can also use teriyaki sauce or soy sauce.

You can also forgo the wrap and make into a veggie and steak bowl and top with your choice of sauce. This is my son's favorite way, since a lettuce wrap is a little hard for a toddler to keep together. Another vegetarian option is to use a piece of grilled pineapple in place of steak, which is unbelievably delicious.

Happy wrapping!


Gresham Family Marinade

3/4 cup olive oil
2-3 tablespoons red wine vinegar or rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce, Braggs Liquid Aminos, or coconut aminos
3-4 tablespoons honey
2 green onions finely chopped
1-2 tablespoons fresh ginger or 2 teaspoons ginger powder
6 cloves garlic, minced

Mix all ingredients together and pour over steak, fish, chicken, or veggies. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but best overnight. 


Asian Steak Lettuce Wraps
Serves 6-8

1 flank steak marinated in the "Gresham Family Marinade" 
2 heads lettuce, washed and dried (romaine, red leaf, green leaf, or butter lettuce)
3 cups cooked rice or quinoa
Thai peanut sauce, teriyaki sauce, or soy sauce. 
Desired toppings: shredded carrots, chopped tomatoes, chopped green onions, chopped cucumber, chopped fresh or grilled pineapple, bamboo, or water chestnuts

Grill flank steak to desired doneness. Let rest for 10 minutes and thinly slice. Serve with your choice of lettuce leaf with 2-3 tablespoons of rice or quinoa in the center. Top with 2 or 3 pieces of steak and desired vegetable toppings. Drizzle with Thai peanut sauce and roll up. Serve immediately.