Asian Beef Lettuce Cups

This is a pretty simple and healthy recipe for getting your beef on. The first thing you need to do is procure some spices.

  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground star anise
  • 1 teaspoon ground fennel seed
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or ground Szechuan peppercorns

The above spices can be substituted with the same amount (2 & 1/2 teaspoons) of Chinese Five Spice, if you have it.

  • 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Brown a pound of ground beef in a pan, the same way you would for something like tacos, and strain off any excess liquids and fat. Add in the spices and continue browning until the beef is fully cooked and the spices are evenly distributed across the meat.

Scoop out portions of the beef into Bibb or Iceberg lettuce. Drizzle on some toasted sesame oil, sprinkle on some sesame seeds, and top with fresh cilantro, sliced fresh scallions and crispy fried shallots or onions. Then shove it into your mouth and eat it.

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If ground beef isn’t your thing, you can use this as a spice rub for grilling or searing steaks as well. Just make sure you coat the steaks generously with the spices first.