Spicy Sesame Ground Beef Lettuce Cups

Halve the lettuce head, separate into individual leaves, rinse and pat dry with paper towels. Set aside the 12 largest, most cup-shaped leaves for serving.

Thinly slice the scallions on a bias, separating the white and light green parts from the dark green tips. Set aside separately.

Peel and mince the yellow onion, garlic cloves, and fresh ginger. Combine into a rough paste on your cutting board.

Measure out the soy sauce, sesame oil, cayenne pepper, and honey into separate small bowls. Measure the sesame seeds into a dry bowl.

Rinse the white rice under cold water until clear, then add to a pot with 2 cups water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook 15 minutes until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let steam covered 5 minutes.

Place a large frying pan over high heat. Add 1 tbsp sesame oil and heat until it shimmers, about 30 seconds.

Add the onion-garlic-ginger paste to the pan. Stir-fry 2-3 minutes, until the onion turns translucent and the mixture is fragrant.

Add the ground beef to the pan, breaking it apart with tongs. Cook 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beef is no longer pink and has begun to brown at the edges.

Push the beef to one side of the pan. Reduce heat to medium. Add the honey to the empty side and let it bubble for 30 seconds, then stir it into the beef.

Add the soy sauce and cayenne pepper. Stir well to coat the beef evenly. Cook 2-3 minutes, until the sauce thickens and glazes the meat.

Remove from heat. Stir in the remaining 1 tbsp sesame oil and the sesame seeds (reserve 1 tbsp for garnish). Fold in the light scallion parts.

Check internal temperature with a probe thermometer — the beef must reach 71C at the center before serving. If not, return to low heat for 1-2 minutes until it passes.

Fluff the cooked rice with a fork and mound it in the center of a large serving platter.

Arrange the lettuce cups around the rice, cup-side up.

Spoon the spicy sesame beef into the lettuce cups, filling each about three-quarters full.

Scatter the reserved sesame seeds and dark scallion tips over the beef. Serve immediately, letting each person build their own cups.