Thai Beef Lettuce Wraps

I have been collecting cookbooks for a few years now, I have over 250, not counting magazines.  A week ago I started checking out one of my Cooking Light cookbooks.  I came across many recipes that I would love to create.

This recipe I found in the cookbook. I had been looking for a great Thai beef marinade for a little while, and this one just caught my eye.  The only change I made was I substituted the fish sauce for soy sauce. 

The top sirloin steak comes out tender and juicy and the taste is just amazing.  I decided to go a healthier route and use bibb lettuce as my wrap, but you can certainly use flour tortillas if you like.

The bibb lettuce was perfect for this dish.  Sometimes I use iceberg lettuce for wraps..but I think this time it was wise to use the bibb lettuce.  It had great taste in combination with the tomatoes, cucumber, fresh cilantro and fresh parsley.  This was a hit with my husband.

The first thing I did this morning was the marinade.  I gathered all of the ingredients and  got to work.  I wanted the steaks to marinade for at least 6 hours before grilling.

Once I placed the steak and the marinate in the bag, I rubbed the steaks thru the bag to make sure that the steaks were marinaded well.  

I turned on the grill a few minutes early, I wanted to make sure it was hot enough for the steaks.  What's better than hearing the sound of the steak hitting the grill.

I let the meat sit for about 7 minutes before cutting.  When a steak is cut before resting, it will let out all of the juices and you will end up with a dry and tough piece of meat.

I cut the meat against the grain, and it was extremely juicy and tender.  This has to be one of my favorite marinades...I will definitely make this marinade again for chicken, pork chops and wings. 

All of the ingredients were fresh, the bibb lettuce and the cucumber were crunchy, the tomatoes were firm and colorful, and the smell of basil and cilantro, amazing!!!

Ingredients

1 pound flank steak or top sirloin steak trimmed

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 thinly chopped shallots

2 garlic cloves minced

1 1/2 tsp minced ginger

2 tbsp brown sugar

3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1 cup cubed cucumber

1/3 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half

1 tbsp fresh chopped basil

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

12 bibb lettuce wraps

Rinse and pat dry the steak and place it in a resealable plastic bag.  In a mixing bowl mix the salt, black pepper, chopped shallots, garlic, minced ginger, brown sugar, soy sauce, lime juice, and crushed peppers.  Pour into the bag, shake the bag to make sure the steak is coated with the marinade.  Let marinade in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Set grill to medium heat.  Spray the grill with the cooking spray and cook the steaks for about 5 minutes on each side or to desired doneness.  Let rest for about 5 minutes.

Cut steaks diagonally across grain into thin slices.  Combine sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, shallots, basil and cilantro in a large bowl.  Place a few pieces of the steak into the bibb lettuce and top with the cucumber mixture, enjoy!!

Source:  Cooking Light Cookbook