Korean-Style Pork Lettuce Wraps

I owe you new recipes.  A lot of them, actually.  I have 8 recent recipes that I want to post but the problem is, I forget to take pictures of the food! We usually get about halfway through our meal before one of us says, "This should be on the blog." And it's tough to style halfway-eaten food.

Luckily, these lettuce wraps were easy to make more of.  This is my fourth recipe for lettuce wraps on this blog (we've had chicken, beef/turkey, and vegetarian), and this might be my favorite.  I like pork tenderloin and this one is so incredibly flavorful.   Even our toddler was eating her meal like there was no tomorrow.

Korean-Style Pork Lettuce Wraps
Taken from: The Food Network
Serves 4-6

• 1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 4 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, divided
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger (I used about a teaspoon of dried ginger)
• 1-2 tablespoons Sriracha hot chili sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil or canola oil
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
• 1 1/2 cups cooked rice or quinoa 
• 1 head Boston, Bibb, or butter lettuce, leaves separated, washed, and patted dry
• Toppings: sliced red bell pepper, grated carrot, sliced cucumber

1. Wrap the pork tenderloin in several sheets of plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 40 minutes. (This is to make it easier to thinly slice, so make sure it doesn't freeze completely.)
2.  In a medium mixing bowl, combine the soy sauce, sugar, 2 teaspoons of the sesame oil, green onion, garlic, and ginger. Whisk together until the sugar dissolves.
3.  Take the pork out of the freezer and unwrap on a clean cutting board. Slice the pork into thin strips, about 1/4-inch thick, 1/4-inch wide, and 2 1/2 inches long. Place the pork strips in the soy marinade, cover, and refrigerate for 1-3 hours.
4. (At this point, I started cooking my quinoa in my rice cooker to make sure it was done at the same time.)
5. In a small mixing bowl, combine the Sriracha hot chili sauce, honey, and the remaining 2 teaspoons of sesame oil. Stir to combine. Set aside.
6.  When the pork has marinated, take the bowl out of the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.
7.  Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Using a slotted spoon, remove the pork from the marinade and carefully place in the skillet. (Be careful that the drippings don't splatter out of the pan.) Cook the pork, stirring constantly with tongs or a wooden spoon, 4 to 5 minutes, until the pork is cooked through. Remove from the heat and stir in the sesame seeds.
8.  To serve, spoon several tablespoons of rice/quinoa into the center of a lettuce leaf, taco-style. Top with a few pork strips and drizzle with a few drops of the chili mixture. Roll up and eat!