Sesame Beef Lettuce Wraps with Asian Sweet and Spicy Mustard

I made a version of this dish last year and we really liked it. Then, I promptly forgot about it altogether. I think that is one of the downfalls of trying so many new recipes all the time; it is easy for the ones that I like to slip through the cracks. If luck prevails, I'll get around to making the dish again...even if it is a year or more later. I really need to go back through my blog, read the reviews, and find the recipes that I really liked and that I haven't made since the first preparation.

I ended up remembering this recipe because I found a flank steak in my freezer. I am actually a little burnt out on my usual (albeit favorite) flank steak fajitas. I thought I could change up the method to the original Cooking Light recipe that I made before for Korean Sesame Beef Lettuce Wraps, based on what I have on hand this time. My friend, Claire suggested that I base my marinade for this dish of the Saito Chicken marinade recipe. Since she is a genius, I think that is exactly what I will do. I do want to make it more Asian-inspired, so I will add a few of my own touches. Hopefully, it will be as good as the original.
I bought some iceberg lettuce at the grocery store, which is the perfect choice for a lettuce wrap application. I think I will serve this dish with some baked, pre-made, veggie spring rolls from Trader Joe's. I may scrounge around on the Internet for a spring roll dipping sauce...we'll see. Other than that, dinner will be complete!

Sesame Beef Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

For marinade:
1 lb. flank steak, trimmed
2 cloves of minced garlic
1/3 cup of soy sauce
1/3 cup of lemon juice
1/2 cup of canola oil
1/4 cup of hoisin sauce
1 Tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon of dark sesame oil
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon of dry mustard powder
pinch of sugar
1 Tablespoon of rice vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

For wraps:
toasted sesame seeds
1-2 raw carrots, peeled and shredded
1/2 red onion, diced
fresh cilantro, chopped
Sambal Oelek (optional)
crispy Asian noodles
Iceberg lettuce leaves

Directions:
Place beef and all marinade ingredients in a gallon size zip top bag. Shake or turn bag to combine. Let meat marinate for minimum 2-4 hours (or longer), turning every 1/2 hour. Grill meat on medium-high temperature until desired doneness is achieved. For medium rare, approximately 4 minutes on each side. Once meat is off the grill, let rest for minimum 10 minutes before slicing. This will allow meat juices to redistribute. Always slice against the grain of the meat. Slice meat into strips for wraps. Place beef in lettuce leaf with all the topping of your choice. Wrap like a taco or a burrito and enjoy!



The Result:
Oh man! This was sooooo good. I liked this version a lot better than the original Cooking Light recipe. The marinade was awesome! The steak was perfectly cooked, thanks to my husband's prowess on the grill. The flavors blended perfectly, and it was so satisfying. Yum!
I did find a recipe for a dipping sauce that was pretty good. I have had better... but this one was not bad in a pinch. I changed it to our liking, so I will post my adapted recipe below. When I put the original dipping sauce recipe together it tasted like it was missing something, so I had to tweak it a bit. The end result was good, but I like Trader Joe's pre-made sauces better. Next time, I will stick with those (TJ's has a mustard sauce and a sweet and sour sauce that are very delicious). I changed the quantities on my version, since I only wanted a little dipping sauce to try out.

Asian Sweet and Spicy Mustard
Adapted from: recipezaar.com /Recipe #79876

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons of spicy brown mustard (I used hot Asian mustard)
1 Tablespoon of peanut butter
2 Tablespoons of hoisin sauce
2 Tablespoons of packed brown sugar (more if needed)
1 teaspoon of rice vinegar (more if needed)
1/2 teaspoon of dark sesame oil
salt to taste

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk until combined. Serve as dipping sauce or condiment.