I took advantage of Shane being home when I made this recipe. It’s not a difficult recipe but there are a lot of components and I wouldn’t have gotten much done on my own with a sick baby. I saw this recipe on {where else} Pinterest and it’s from Good Housekeeping. If you know me and my husband, we like things spicy so when I saw that these were topped off with cooked jalapenos I thought that these would be a nice twist to the classic beef lettuce wraps. Now I don’t know about you but it seems like every time I buy jalapenos for salsa or guacamole they are never hot, never. So when I was at the store I stood in front of the peppers for what seemed like forever trying to decide if I should buy a Serrano too but I opted to stick with the jalapenos and told myself that I would also use Sambal {an asian chili paste} to kick up the heat. Well it turns there is a such thing as a hot jalapeno and I was the lucky winner who picked  the two spiciest. Lets just say this turned out to be a “hot” dinner.

I also made this Korean cucumber salad to serve alongside the wraps. It went really well and it was perfect for cooling the palate.

       Beef

10 cloves garlic

2  jalapeño chiles

1 1/4 pounds beef top round steak or beef tenderloin

1/4 cups sugar

1/2  low sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup

sesame oil

Coarsely ground black pepper

Wrap Ingredients

1 head Boston lettuce, separated into leaves

1 1/2 cup cooked rice noodles

1/2 cup Sambal Oelek

Prepare  Beef:

 Cut 6 cloves garlic into thin slices and mince remaining 4 cloves. Thinly slice jalapeños crosswise. Place the jalapenos and sliced garlic aside. Holding knife almost parallel to cutting surface, slice beef, against the grain, into 1/8-inch-thick slices.

In large bowl, place minced garlic and sugar; mash together with back of wooden spoon. Stir in soy sauce, sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Add beef to marinade; cover and refrigerate 2 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile prepare the dipping Sauce

Dipping Sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

2 Tbs sugar

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup water

Coarsely ground black pepper

In small bowl, place minced garlic and sugar; mash together with back of wooden spoon. Stir in soy sauce, water, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cover and set aside.

When Beef is done marinating prepare outdoor grill for direct grilling over high heat. Place lightly greased grilling grid on grill rack to preheat. In 2 to 3 batches, remove beef from marinade and place on grilling grid; cook 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side for medium doneness. Transfer cooked beef to serving bowl.

Heat saute pan over medium hight heat, when hot spray pan with cooking spray and add sliced jalapenos and garlic. Cook, stirring often until lightly browned, transfer to small bowl.

To serve, arrange all ingredients in small bowls on a large tray.

To assemble spread a little Sambal on a lettuce leaf, then top with some rice noodles, grilled beef, garlic, jalapeño, . Fold sides of lettuce leaf over to make a package to eat by hand. Dip wrap in dipping sauce.

Serve Korean cucumber salad on the side as a delicious cooling side dish.