Welcome to the new and improved Candid Appetite site!! You might’ve noticed that this humble blog has gotten a bit of a (much needed) makeover. It’s about time, really. For a while now I’ve been wanting to update my little corner of the internet to really showcase the images and the recipes themselves. I wanted it to be easier to navigate for you, the reader, as well. I hope that you’ll enjoy it and I hope it really encourages you to come back again and again to try new (and old favorite) recipes. I’m so happy with how it turned out. Now on to the inaugural recipe. These Sticky Beef Lettuce Wraps are what you get when you combine teriyaki beef with pho (whaat?) and lettuce wraps. They were really inspired by my favorite bowls of pho so you’ll notice a lot of classic pho broth flavorings in the sauce. Then you’ll really get that taste with the toppings, which are all the toppings I love in pho. They’re addicting and I promise you, you’ll love it.
In a large bowl, toss together the beef with salt and pepper until evenly coated. Set aside while the pot heats up.
**Note: I’m using boneless beef short ribs for this recipe. Just make sure you cube it up to be about the same size so that it all cooks evenly.**
Set a large nonstick skillet (with a tight fitting lid) over moderate heat. Once hot, add the piece in a single layer. You might need to do this in two batches. Cook until very well seared and browned on both sides, about 8 to 10 minutes in total. Transfer to a platter and cook the second batch in the same way.
**Note: Make sure you don’t overcrowd your skillet. I know it might seem like a hassle to brown it in batches, but that’s the only way you’ll achieve that crispy exterior. Also, keep in mind that we’re not looking to cook the beef fully at this stage. It’ll continue to cook later on.**
Once all the meat has cooked, return the first batch to the skillet along with the ginger, garlic, chiles and spices. Cook, stirring often, until fragrant about 1 to 2 minutes.
Stir in the soy sauce, mirin, fish sauce, water, hoisin, and sugar. Bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Cover and simmer over low for 15 minutes.
Uncover and cook over moderate heat, stirring often, until the beef has softened and the sauce has thickened, about 18 to 20 minutes. Discard the spices and transfer to a serving platter.
**Note: It might be a bit of a hassle to fish out the whole bits of spices. If you want to avoid this step, you can wrap all of them in a bit of cheesecloth and cook it in the sauce like that. Then you can just fish out the satchel.**
To assemble, serve in lettuce leaves and top with cilantro, basil, mint, jalapeño, scallions, bean sprouts, onion and/or vermicelli noodles. Serve with lime wedges on the side.
**Note: You don’t need to use all of these topping. You can pick and choose your favorites. I like all these because they’re the toppings I always put on my pho and so I wanted to mimic those flavors here too!**
If you really want the beef to be fall off the bone tender, you could easily make this in a pressure cooker! Brown the beef in batches using the sauté function then just throw everything in. Give it a stir and seal the machine. Set to 15 mins on high pressure, making sure the valve is set to sealing. Allow to naturally release for 15 minutes before manually releasing any residual pressure. Then just turn on the sauté function once again and cook until the sauce has thickened. Done and done.
This of course could easily be made with chicken or pork as well. Just note that the cooking time will be slightly less as though cook faster and also get tender quicker. Play around with the protein!
I really hope you’ll give this recipe a try because I can’t tell you how delicious it is. Hopefully the pictures do the job of convincing you. Let me know if you have any questions or comments below. As always, stay safe out there my friends. Thank you for reading!
Sticky Beef Lettuce Wraps
Equipment
- skillet
- bowls
- spoons
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless beef short ribs cubed
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
- 3 garlic cloves gated
- 4 small dried red chiles
- 3 whole star anise
- 5 whole cloves
- 3 black cardamom pods optional
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/3 cup mirin
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 1/3 cup water
- 3 tablespoons hoisin
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar or rock sugar
Toppings
- 1 small head of lettuce leaves separated
- 1 cup cilantro leaves
- 1 cup Thai basil leaves
- 1/2 cup mint leaves
- 2 jalapeños thinly sliced
- 4 scallions thinly sliced
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 1/2 white onion thinly sliced
- 2.5 ounces vermicelli rice noodles cooked and rinsed
- 2 limes cut into wedges
Instructions
- In a large bowl, toss together the beef with the salt and pepper until evenly coated.
- Set a large nonstick skillet (with a tight fitting lid) over moderate heat. Once hot, add the piece in a single layer. You might need to do this in two batches. Cook until very well seared and browned on both sides, about 8 to 10 minutes in total. Transfer to a platter and cook the second batch in the same way.
- Once all the meat has cooked, return the first batch to the skillet along with the ginger, garlic, and spices. Cook, stirring often, until fragrant about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Stir in the soy sauce, mirin, fish sauce, water, hoisin, and sugar. Bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Cover and simmer over low for 15 minutes. Uncover and cook over moderate heat, stirring often, until the beef has softened and the sauce has thickened, about 18 to 20 minutes. Discard the spices and transfer to a serving platter.
- To assemble, serve in lettuce leaves and top with cilantro, basil, mint, jalapeño, scallions, bean sprouts, onion and/or vermicelli noodles. Serve with lime wedges on the side. Enjoy!
I feel like I NEED to make these!!