Have you ever eaten at P.F. Chang's China Bistro? Well, if you haven't you are missing on a lot of good eats! How I wish we have this restaurant in our area. The first time my husband and I ate at one when we were in Atlantic City couple of months ago. They're finally opening one in Plymouth Meeting, PA in May, but that's still two hours south from us ;-( Anyway, we just fell in-love with their Lettuce Wraps, Mongolian Beef and Vegetarian Ma Po Tofu and we've been hoping to taste those dishes again...
But wait a minute? I had an 'epiphany' all of the sudden...since I was making Bulgogi for dinner tonight why not turn it as a filling for a lettuce wrap??? What a great idea! After one bite of my homemade wrap, we were all smiles and my OH my, we thought it was even better than P.F. Chang's...opps...sorry to all P.F. Chang's fans, but Barry and I really enjoyed our dinner tonight...loved every bite of it ;-)
Lettuce Wraps has become a trendy dish in Asian chow sites. It's like the East meets Mex! Instead of using Taco Shells, you use a lettuce leaf as the outer shell, add fried rice noodles, then top with an Asian inspired stir-fry (in my case, I used Bulgogi), garnish and roll...wALAH...you got yourself a Lettuce Wrap!
Try this easy recipe and call me after you take your first bite...uh-oh, okay maybe when you are done eating since your mouth would be full...hahaha!
*P.S. Normally, Bulgogi's are grilled and served with steamed white rice, but no matter how you make it, they're great! All that wonderful flavors meld in together makes this dish desirably authentic!
Ingredients:
2 lbs Sirloin, thinly sliced
1 Onion, thinly sliced
3 Tbsp Sugar
1/3 cup Sesame Oil
1/3 cup Soy Sauce
1/3 cup Sweet Rice Wine or Dry Sherry
3 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp ginger, freshly grated
Freshly ground pepper
A Bunch of Green Onions (Scallions), sliced, save some for garnishing
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds (optional)
Peanut Oil for frying beef and deep frying noodles
A Head of Lettuce, separated, washed and dry spun
Chinese Rice Noodles (Clear White Vermicelli/Bean Thread)
Directions:
Cut sirloin into thin strips. Place in a large container and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well. Cover and marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
Get a big head of lettuce, separate each leaves, wash and dry spun in a salad spinner. Refrigerate until needed.
Heat a big skillet with peanut oil. Remove beef strips from the marinade and fry in the skillet for about 4-5 minutes. Add the remaining marinade. Stir constantly until sauce thickens.
Fry rice noodles in a small saucepan with heated peanut oil. Rice noodles fry easily. Once it puffs up into a white nest, remove immediately from the pan. Drain in a plate or bowl with paper towel. Season with salt and pepper.
Constructing your Lettuce Wrap:
Take a single lettuce leaf. Add fried rice noodles. Then, layer with Bulgogi strips. Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds. Roll and be ready to munch down ;-)
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