Eggfest Recipe: Thai Steak Lettuce Wraps

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Thai Steak Lettuce Wraps are sort of like the chicken lettuce wrap appetizer at PF Changs, but ours is a spicier version, and we give it a massive upgrade by using Certified Angus Beef® Brand Shaved Steak. 

This is one of the recipes that we served at the Chain of Lakes (2nd Place) and North Florida Eggfest (1st Place) in the past month. 

I like that they rock with flavor in a small package, and they are super easy to make. They only take 7-8 minutes to cook once you have the sauce made and ingredients prepped. 

Here's the recipe, as promised at the Eggfests. Below the recipe, I have more pics and helpful tips for making these at home.

Thai Steak Lettuce Wraps

By www.nibblemethis.com

Published 03/14/2022

We served these tasty delights at the 2022 North Florida Eggfest (1st Place) and 2022 Chain of Lakes Eggfest (2nd Place). They are like the lettuce wraps appetizer from PF Changs, except ours are a bit spicier and feature Certified Angus Beef® Brand Shaved Steak instead of chicken. 

Ingredients

• 2-3 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/3 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1 pound Bertolino Foods Shaved Steak, sliced crossways with knife 
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1.5 teaspoons Lane's Qnami Asian seasoning
• 1/2 cup chopped water chestnuts 
• 1/2 cup coarsely crushed cashews
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 head iceberg lettuce

For the Cashew Sauce

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons cashew butter (substitute peanut butter)
• 1/2 cup beef stock
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon chile-garlic sauce
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 1 tablespoon cold water

Instructions

1. Make the sauce.  In a small saucepot over medium heat, combine the sauce ingredients, except for the starch and water, occasionally whisking until combined. This can be done in advance, kept on refrigeration until ready to use, and then cooked over low heat until warm.
2. Prepare the meat. Slice across the sliced steak to break it up into little pieces. Toss with the 3 cloves of minced garlic. If possible, refrigerate to allow to marinate for 6-8 hours. 
3. Make the lettuce wraps. Remove the core from the iceberg lettuce and quarter the head of lettuce.  Peel the lettuce from the outer edges of each wedge and use those for your lettuce cups or wraps.
4. Preheat a wok to high heat. We used a Big Green Egg kamado grill with a 16" wok and a wok ring with the grill running more than 500°f. 
5. Cook the filling. Add oil, carefully ladle the oil around the sides and wait until the oil smokes and is shimmering. Add the onions and peppers, then stir fry them until they start to get soft, about 3 minutes. Add the meat and garlic mix around the wok in pieces to avoid dumping in a pound of cold meat in one spot. Cook until the pink is mostly gone, 2-3 minutes. Add about 2/3rd of the cashew sauce and stir fry until the sauce coats everything, about 1 more minute. Remove from heat, fold in the diced water chestnuts.
6. Assemble the lettuce wraps. - Add about 1/4 cup of the mixture to a lettuce wrap. Top with a drizzle of the extra sauce. Garnish with cilantro and crushed cashews.  

Yield: 1 1/2 cups

Prep Time: 00 hrs. 20 mins.

Cook time: 00 hrs. 15 mins.

Total time: 35 mins.

Tags: stir fry, wok, 

For this batch, we used Shaved Steak from Bertolino Foods, which I prefer to use at home because it is convenient. We couldn't source the shaved steak locally at the 2 Eggfests, so we bought Certified Angus Beef® Brand sirloin, partially froze it, and then I hand-sliced it paper-thin.

The meat is already shaved thin but in sheets, so I cross-cut the slices into little bits as shown. This makes it easier to make and eat the lettuce wraps.

To make the lettuce wraps (also called cups), just remove the core of the iceberg lettuce and quarter the head of lettuce.  Peel leaves from the outer layers to create your wraps/cups.

Wok cooking is hot and fast, but the extreme temps will burn through a good bit of coal. I loaded a Kick Ash Basket with Jealous Devil coal, topped it with my leftover coal, and fired up the Big Green Egg using a gas torch.

At the Eggfest, we only had a Mini-Max to use for the stir-frying, so we made it work. But at home, this is my typical stir-fry setup - A spider rig (Ceramic Grill Store) upside down to use as a wok ring and a 16" carbon steel wok. I like a wok with two moon handles so I can shut the lid if needed.

My weapon of choice for stir-frying is a wok spatula. They are a cross between a spatula and a spoon, so it lifts the food up and redistributes it to the edges. I prefer the stainless steel version because the thin, rounded edge fits the wok shape, scrapes the bits off, and keeps the wok relatively clean while cooking. 
Wok spatula similar to mine on Amazon [Amazon Affiliate Link]. 

Spreading the steak around the wok instead of dumping it all in a 1 pound clump does 2 things. First, it keeps from dropping the cooking temperature. Second, it lets the meat sizzle and fry instead of steam inside a pile.

Finishing up the meat on the grill. I cut the lower vent almost all the way closed because the coals are getting all of the air they need from the grill being open so much.  Just be careful opening and closing it like that, or you might burn off your eyebrows with a back flash.

These low-carb lettuce wraps are big on Thai flavors.

Nice cutting board, right?  I bought it from a vendor at the North Florida Eggfest.