This recipe for beef lettuce wraps is seared steak layered with fresh vegetables and pickled cucumbers inside of cool lettuce cups and finished off with an asian sauce, chopped almonds and fresh herbs.
For the pickled cucumbers: Place the cucumbers in a colander and sprinkle with teaspoon of salt. Let sit for 5 minutes, then rinse the salt off and drain well.
Whisk together the rice vinegar and sugar. Add the cucumbers along with salt to taste. Refrigerate for at least one hour or up to 24 hours.
For the sauce: Place the soy sauce, water, garlic, ginger, honey and sesame oil in a small pot over medium high heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Turn up heat to high and bring to a boil.
Mix the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of cold water until dissolved. Add the cornstarch mixture to the sauce and boil for 1-2 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Strain the sauce through a sieve and set aside.
For the steak: Heat a large pan over high heat. Drizzle the olive oil over the meat on both sides and season generously with salt and pepper. Cook for 5-7 minutes on each side or until desired level of doneness is reached. Thinly slice the steak.
To assemble: Drain the pickled cucumbers. Divide the carrots, cucumbers and cabbage evenly among the lettuce leaves. Drizzle approximately 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of sauce over the vegetables.
Top each lettuce leaf with 2-3 slices of steak and drizzle with remaining sauce. Sprinkle chopped almonds and cilantro over the top and serve, with lime wedges on the side if desired.