Korean BBQ Lettuce Tacos. Sweet & Salty Beyond Meat & Shiitake Filling, Sticky Rice, Kimchi, Scallions

These!!!

I had this in my head to try for awhile. A simple Korean inspired BBQ sauce/marinade is added to sautéed shiitake mushrooms, onions & a package of beyond meat. Think soy, ginger, sesame, garlic, chili paste, brown sugar and a splash of vinegar. Sweet, salty & addictive. I pile this delicious mixture onto green leaf lettuce with sticky rice, kimchi, a sprinkle of green onions & sesame seeds. That's it. I'll link my kimchi recipe below. I have seen Kimchi available in grocery stores but honestly I will never buy it again. It's expensive and I never like it as much as mine. Also, you may as well make it because it keeps for months and months, so whenever a kimchi craving strikes you're ready to go. 

I find these wraps worked best by doubling up the lettuce so it was a bit sturdier. They were slightly messy but nothing I couldn't handle and totally worth it. 

I chose to use sushi rice in my lettuce wraps. I wanted to use a sticky rice so it would hold together better. I think there are probably other sticky rice varieties out there but I am not an expert on that, plus I always have sushi rice kicking around so that's how I am going to roll. 

Onto the recipe. The BBQ sauce makes more than you need for the amount of beyond meat/mushroom mixture. I like having random things like that in my fridge for quick meals. Would be great with tofu or a random stir fry night. 

Korean BBQ Sauce
This is a thin sauce, it will reduce and thicken when you cook it with the beyond meat/mushroom mixture. You'll need 1/2 a cup of the sauce for the amount of filling. There will be some leftover. 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp sambal oelek
• 1 tsp minced ginger (or just a chunk I never really measure)
• 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 cloves garlic

Method:

1. Blend everything together using an immersion blender. Store in a mason jar in the fridge. 

Beyond Meat & Shiitake Filling
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Serves 2-4 (I ate it in 2 sittings when I was starving honestly, but if you have other sides to round out the meal or aren't super hungry it could go further)

Ingredients:

• 1 white onion, small dice
• 275 g shiitake mushrooms (some people say not to eat the stems. I eat them every time)
• 1 x 340 g pkg beyond meat

​Method:

1. In a cast iron pan, sautee onion for a bit in some veg oil.
2. Add in mushrooms, continue cooking for another few minutes.
3. Add in beyond meat and break up with a wooden spatula.
4. Keep cooking mixture adjusting heat as necessary (medium or medium - high, you want to try and get some browning on the ingredients. If you find things are sticking just add a drizzle more veg oil. 
5. I don't season this with salt and pepper at this point, because the bbq sauce is salty.
6. Add in 1/2 cup of korean bbq sauce. 
7. Cook until reduced and everything is a bit saucy. Just a few minutes.
   
8. Go on, give it a taste 

Assembly

1. Layer a couple pieces of frilly lettuce on top of eachother
2. Spoon on a tablespoon or 2 of cooked rice (I cooked 1/2 cup sushi rice total)
3. Top with generous amount of Korean Beyond Meat and Shiitake filling.
4. Top with a spoonful of Kimchi, sliced green onions, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. 

Vegan Kimchi