Sesame Seed Oil Rubbed Beef Lettuce Wraps with juicy tender steak, hot red pepper paste (gochujang) and fresh romaine lettuce. This is a recipe that is super easy and quick to make for a weeknight meal that is low in carbs, healthy and gluten-free (as long as you find gluten-free hot red pepper paste (gochujang) – like this one).
This is an easy Korean inspired meal
Within 20-30 minutes, you’ll have a delicious and healthy meal. Wrapping meat in lettuce, topping it with some fresh raw ingredients and hot red pepper paste (gochujang) is a go-to easy meal in Korea. There are so many ways you can take this simple recipe and elevate it even more to suit your own taste buds! Adding some fresh sliced avocado to these lettuce wraps would also be a tasty addition.
Do I really need to rub the sesame seed oil into the beef for 10 minutes?
Yes! This helps to work the sesame seed oil, salt, and pepper into the beef, and it also helps to tenderize the meat. Trust us, it is worth it in the end. The flavor of the sesame seed oil really gets infused into the meat by doing this.
What is hot red pepper paste (gochujang)?
Hot red pepper paste (gochujang) is a Korean must-have ingredient and has been for hundreds of years. It is a sweet, savory and spicy fermented chili paste. You will always see hot red pepper paste served with or already on top of the beloved Korean dish bibimbap. Gochujang is typically made with barley malt powder (yeotgirem), rice syrup, sweet rice flour, fermented soybean powder (mejugaru), salt, hot pepper powder (gochugaru), and sweet rice flour. There are some versions out there of gochujang that may contain wheat, so if you are needing to stay gluten-free, make sure you purchase a version that says it is gluten-free.
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Ingredients
For the beef:
1 lb Ribeye, sliced thin
2 tbs Sesame Seed Oil
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 tbs Avocado oil
For the lettuce wraps:
2 tbs Hot Red Pepper Paste (gochujang)*, (Need gluten-free gochujang? Check this one out.)
12 Romaine Lettuce leaves (can also use green leaf lettuce, red leaf lettuce or butter lettuce)
3 Garlic cloves, sliced thin
Toasted Sesame Seeds (optional)
Instructions
- Get everything ready for the lettuce wraps. The beef cooks up fast, especially if you like the steak doneness to be medium so it's best to have all this ready to go. Wash the romaine lettuce leaves, slice the garlic cloves into thin pieces, and put the hot red pepper paste (gochujang) into a small bowl (or just use a big spoon like I did).
- Slice the ribeye into thin strips.
- In a bowl, add the sesame seed oil, salt, black pepper, and the sliced ribeye.
- Massage the sesame seed oil mixture into the beef for about 10 minutes.
- Put a skillet on medium-high heat. Add 1 tbs of avocado oil to the hot pan and swirl the pan around to coat it with the oil.
- Add the beef mixture and stir fry to your desired doneness.
- Enjoy! Make and layer the wraps the way you want. We shared a basic way a lot of Koreans like to eat lettuce wraps with hot red pepper paste, raw garlic slices, beef and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Feel free to add more toppings as you wish. Avocado slices would be yummy to add on top!
Notes
*Avoiding gluten? Be sure to double check the ingredients on the hot red pepper paste (gochujang) you purchase to make sure it is gluten-free! If you purchase gluten-free hot red pepper paste, then this recipe is gluten-free.
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