Korean Beef Lettuce Wraps (simple egg fried rice and quick cucumber Kimchi)

I love Korean food. It is spicy, quick and fresh. It packs a completely different flavour to say Chinese or Malaysian food but is a lot lighter than your typical Indian curries. A real favourite Korean dish of mine is of course the famous Bibimbap. The egg cooked with fried rice and mixed vegetables are a real comfort food. It is the Gochujang paste that is the crucial part of any Korean dish. The spicy red pepper paste can be bought from most Asian stores and will add a real kick.

Another favourite of mine are Korean Tacos where the Bulgogi meat is marinaded pork or beef cooked with Gochujang paste. These are a popular fusion food that Berlin has been quick to pick up on! And what about the Kimchi? Fermented cabbage or other veg is a standard side dish in Korea and much loved and one of the reasons why I love to eat Korean food!

This recipe is easy and fast to prepare. The beef is cooked in the Gochujang paste with red peppers and onions. I serve this in lettuce wraps which is light and fresh. The quick cucumber Kimchi adds that sweet and sour flavour to the beef and the simple fried rice is a perfect side. You can find the recipe for the cucumber Kimchi here.

Ingredients:

For the Beef Lettuce Wraps:

500g minced beef

1 tbpsn gochujang paste

2 tspn Korean chilli powder

1 red pepper (finely chopped)

1 onion (peeled and finely chopped)

2 cloves garlic (peeled and crushed)

Juice of 1 lime

Black pepper

2 tbspn tomato puree

2 spring onions (finely chopped)

Lettuce leaves (I use Romaine lettuce)

For the Simple Egg Fried Rice:

100g plain rice (cooked according to packet instructions)

2 eggs (beaten)

2 spring onions (finely chopped)

75g peas (de-frosted if using frozen)

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• In a large pan heat 1 tbpsn sunflower oil. Once hot add the onions and garlic with a pinch of salt and cook for around 3-4 minutes.
• Add the beef to the pan and once browned add the gochujang paste and tomato puree. Mix in the chilli powder, black pepper and red peppers and combine everything together. Fry on a medium heat for just under 10 minutes.
• In the meantime heat up another frying pan with a dash of sunflower oil. Add the peas and spring onions and then add the cooked rice. Make a small gap in the middle of the pan and then pour in the beaten egg. Leave to cook for a couple of minutes so that it scrambles and then mix the egg and rice together so that the rice is combined with the cooked egg.
• Take the beef off the heat. Stir in the spring onions and lime juice.
• Serve up with the fried rice and lettuce wraps and the cucumber Kimchi.