Beef Bulgogi Lettuce Cups with Sesame Sauce
Super tender, delicious, and easy to make, these Beef Bulgogi Lettuce Cups are a must try. They're loaded with thinly sliced and marinated ribeye steak, green onion, steamed rice, kimchi and drizzled with a super easy and flavourful Sesame Sauce.
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
For the Beef Bulgogi:
- ½ yellow onion peeled
- ½ Asian pear peeled
- 1 kiwi peeled
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1-inch piece fresh ginger peeled
- 1/3 cup coconut aminos
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey omit for whole30
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
- 1.5 pounds ribeye steak substitute NY strip, flank or sirloin
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds for garnish
- 1 head romaine lettuce rinsed well and cut in half, widthwise, for serving
- 4 green onions thinly sliced, for serving
- Steamed white rice for serving
- ½ cup kimchi roughly chopped, for serving
For the Sesame Sauce:
- ¼ cup avocado oil mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons kimchi juice plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
Instructions
For the Beef Bulgogi:
- Place the beef in the freezer for 4 to 6 hours to partially freeze – this will make it easier to slice. Remove the beef from the freezer and slice it very thin with a sharp knife. Transfer the steak to a shallow bowl or baking dish and set aside.
- In a blender, combine the onion, pear, kiwi, garlic and ginger. Blend on high speed until smooth. Pour the marinade over the beef. Add the coconut aminos, vinegar, sesame oil, fish sauce, honey, if using, salt and pepper. Toss gently until well coated. Cover and refrigerate for 30 to 45 minutes maximum.
- Preheat a large cast-iron or carbon steel skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches so as not to overcrowd, drain most of the marinade and add the beef to the pan. Cook, undisturbed, until slightly brown, around 2 minutes. Stir gently until the beef is just cooked through, around 2 more minutes. Transfer to a bowl and repeat with the remainder of the meat. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve with the lettuce, green onions, rice, kimchi and sesame sauce.
For the Sesame Sauce:
- In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, kimchi juice, sesame oil and honey. Stir until smooth, taste and adjust with kimchi juice as desired. Cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days.