Korean Lettuce Wraps (Ssambap) with Fish Topping Sauce
Ssambap is a rustic Korean lettuce wrap with rice and it is a healthy home-style meal. Rice is wrapped with variety of lettuce and leaves, then topped with fish topping sauce. A canned mackerel pike is handy for this recipe
Ingredients
- assorted leafy lettuces and edible leaves cleaned and some leaves steamed
- cooked multi-grain rice or brown rice to serve
For the topping sauce
- 14 oz canned mackerel pike or tuna drained but reserving 3 Tbsp liquid
- 1/2 small onion chopped
- 1/3-1/2 zucchini chopped
- 1/2 tbsp garlic minced
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 green chili chopped, optional
- 1 green onion chopped, optional
For the seasoning
- 2 tbsp Korean soybean paste (doenjang) doenjang
- 1 tbsp Korean chili paste (gochujang) gochujang
- 2 tbsp Korean chili flakes (gochugaru) gochugaroo
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp sweet rice wine (mirim) optional
- dashes pepper
Instructions
- Combine all the seasoning ingredients in a small mixing bowl, set aside.
- In a small sauce pan, saute onion and garlic in oil over medium heat until soft. Add the fish, reserved juice, and the water and bring to boil.
- Add the sauce to the pan and stir. Add the zucchini and bring to boil again. Reduce the heat to med-low and simmer for 7-8 minutes or until the mixture thickens a little.
- Add the chili and green onion, if using, and let it cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let it cool. It will thicken more as it cools.
- To serve the dish, place 1 tablespoonful of rice in the middle of lettuce, top with the fish topping sauce, about 1/2 Tbsp, and gently bunch the lettuce together and eat in ONE bite!