High heat and lean beef are what make this work in a quarter of an hour. The beef and sliced red pepper go into the pan together and cook for six or seven minutes before any sauce is added.
Then the sauce goes straight into the pan: soy, hoisin, sesame oil, rice vinegar, ginger and garlic, reduced for a couple of minutes until it coats the meat rather than pooling.
Fifteen Minutes, in Order
One skillet, two additions, then the lettuce.
0 to 7 minutes
Ground beef and sliced red pepper
High heat, broken into crumbles.
7 to 10 minutes
Soy, hoisin, sesame oil, rice vinegar, ginger and garlic
Reduced until it coats; beef at 160°F.
Off the heat
Most of the green onions
To serve
Butter lettuce cups, sesame seeds and the remaining green onion
How to Make It
Beef and pepper browned
Heat the neutral oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the ground beef and red bell pepper and cook 6 to 7 minutes, breaking the beef into small crumbles.
Sauce added and reduced
Stir in the soy sauce, hoisin, sesame oil, rice vinegar, ginger and garlic. Cook 2 to 3 minutes more, until the beef reaches 160°F and the sauce coats the meat.
Green onions folded in
Remove from the heat and stir in most of the green onions.
Spooned into lettuce cups
Spoon the beef mixture into the butter lettuce leaves and finish with the sesame seeds and remaining green onions.
Ingredient Notes
- Lean ground beef
- A pound; lean keeps the sauce from splitting into fat in the pan.
- Hoisin sauce
- One tablespoon, which supplies the sweetness and gloss.
- Butter lettuce leaves
- Twelve large cupped leaves, washed and dried before filling.
Why This Recipe Works
- Cooking the pepper with the beef from the start softens it without a second pan.
- Adding the sauce late keeps the beef browning rather than simmering.
- Hoisin brings sweetness and body, so no starch or thickener is needed.
- Butter lettuce leaves are naturally cupped, so nothing spills.
Success Tips
- Dry the washed lettuce leaves thoroughly so the filling does not slide out.
- Keep the heat high while the beef browns and only lower it once the sauce goes in.
- Fill the cups just before serving so the leaves stay crisp.
Serving Ideas
Set the filled cups on a platter with the extra green onion and sesame scattered over, three per person.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate
Refrigerate the beef mixture and keep the lettuce separate; reheat the filling and fill fresh leaves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is fifteen minutes realistic?
Yes: 5 minutes of prep and 10 of cooking, with the sauce added directly to the pan.
Is there rice in the cups?
No. The filling is beef, pepper, green onion and sauce only.
