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Sticky Mongolian beef lettuce cups
Serves 4-6 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 600g beef skirt steak
- 2tbsp sunflower oil
- 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 30g fresh ginger, grated
- 1 fat red chilli, finely chopped
- 60ml light soy sauce
- 3tbsp hoisin sauce
- 60g dark brown muscovado sugar
- 6 spring onions, chopped into 2cm pieces
- 3 baby gem lettuces, to serve
For the marinade
- 3tbsp Shaoxing rice wine (or dry sherry)
- 3tbsp cornflour
- 2tbsp light soy sauce
- 1⁄4tsp bicarbonate of soda
For the crispy sesame rice
- 2tbsp sunflower oil
- 250g cold cooked rice
- 50g toasted sesame seeds
- fine sea salt, to taste
- red chillies, sliced, to serve
Method
Slice the steak into 1cm-thick strips, cutting against the grain of the meat. Mix together the marinade ingredients, add the beef and leave to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.
For the crispy rice, heat the oil in a large frying pan on a low-medium heat. Add the rice to the pan and press down flat so it evenly coats the bottom of the pan. Leave the rice to cook, undisturbed, for 5–8 minutes until a golden crust starts to form on the base. Then you can start to move the rice around, frying gently until it golden and crispy throughout. Mix in the sesame seeds and salt, and set aside.
Separate the lettuce leaves – these will form your ‘cups’ – rinse under running water then pat dry with kitchen paper.
To cook the beef, heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok until smoking – you must get the oil violently hot for a stir-fry, otherwise the meat will just become watery and tough. Brown the beef in the oil in batches – it will only take seconds to brown if the oil is hot enough. Use a slotted spoon to remove the beef and set aside on a plate. In the same oil, fry the garlic, ginger and chilli for 1 minute until they start to brown, then add the soy, 60ml water, hoisin sauce and sugar, stirring well to dissolve. Bring to the boil and simmer until the mix has reduced and become syrupy – about 3-4 minutes.
Return the beef to the pan and add the spring onions. Cook over a high heat for a further 2 minutes, ensuring the beef is evenly coated in the rich sticky sauce. Remove from the heat.
To assemble the lettuce cups, fill each one with some sticky beef, spring onions and top with crispy sesame rice.
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