Name: Vietnamese Beef Lettuce Wraps
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 1 pound (450g) ground beef (85% lean); 2 tablespoons fish sauce; 2 tablespoons brown sugar; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 2 tablespoons lemongrass, finely minced (white parts only); 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1 head butter lettuce, leaves separated and washed; 1 cup fresh mint leaves; 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves; 1 cup bean sprouts; 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, chopped; 1 cucumber, thinly sliced into matchsticks; 1/4 cup nuoc cham dipping sauce (3 tbsp fish sauce, 3 tbsp lime juice, 2 tbsp sugar, 1/2 cup water, 1 minced garlic clove, 1 minced Thai chili)

Instructions

Prepare the beef mixture

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, fish sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, lemongrass, and grated ginger. Mix thoroughly with your hands until all ingredients are well incorporated. Cover and let marinate for at least 10 minutes.
Cook the beef

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef mixture and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. Drain any excess fat if necessary.
Prepare the vegetables

While the beef is cooking, wash the lettuce leaves and pat them dry. Arrange the mint leaves, cilantro, bean sprouts, chopped peanuts, and cucumber matchsticks on a serving platter.
Make the dipping sauce

In a small bowl, combine all the nuoc cham dipping sauce ingredients: fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, water, minced garlic, and minced Thai chili. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Adjust seasoning to taste, adding more lime juice for acidity or sugar for sweetness.
Assemble and serve

Transfer the cooked beef to a serving bowl. To eat, each person takes a lettuce leaf, adds a spoonful of beef, tops with herbs, vegetables, and peanuts, then rolls it up. Dip in the nuoc cham sauce before enjoying.

Vietnamese Beef Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

Instructions

Nutritional Information