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Ground Beef Lettuce Wraps

The same shared lettuce wrap base with ground beef in place of chicken, with the extra step of pouring off rendered fat before the sauce goes in.
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Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Shared base
  • 1 head butter (Boston) lettuce
  • 8 oz cremini mushrooms, finely minced
  • 1 can (8 oz) water chestnuts, drained and minced
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
  • 4 green onions, sliced into thin rings
  • Salt, a pinch (for the mushrooms)
  • Cooking oil, for the wok
  • Crispy chow mein noodles, for topping
Stir-fry sauce
  • Hoisin sauce
  • Soy sauce
  • Rice vinegar
  • Sesame oil
  • Sriracha
  • Water, a splash
Dipping sauce
  • Soy sauce
  • Rice vinegar
  • Brown sugar
  • Hot mustard, a spoon
Beef
  • 1 lb ground beef

Equipment

  • Large carbon steel wok
  • wooden spatula
  • chef's knife
  • cutting board
  • fine-mesh sieve
  • microplane
  • small bowls
  • clean kitchen towel
  • small heatproof bowl

Method
 

  1. Complete the shared prep: lettuce cups, minced vegetables, both sauces, and the cooked set-aside vegetables, exactly as the chicken version describes.
  2. Place ground beef in the hot wok. Break into small crumbles with a splash of soy sauce. Cook until deep brown with no pink left.
  3. Tilt the wok over a heatproof bowl and pour off the excess rendered fat. Hold the crumbles back with the spatula.
  4. Return the vegetables to the wok. Pour in the stir-fry sauce. Simmer until the sauce reduces to a dark, glossy, thick glaze coating the beef.
  5. Fold in the sliced green onions.
  6. Fill chilled lettuce cups, top with crispy chow mein noodles and remaining green onions, and serve with the dipping sauce.

Notes

Store filling, cups, and dipping sauce separately. Reheat filling in a wok or skillet until hot through. Fill cups just before eating.
Contains soy and sesame. Check hoisin sauce and chow mein noodle labels for wheat.