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1
Preparing the ginger beef.
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2
Peel and grate the gingerroot in a circular motion until you have about 3 tablespoons of ginger.
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3
Squeeze the grated gingerroot to release all the juices.
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4
You should have about 2 tablespoons ginger juice for the marinade.
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5
Discard the ginger fiber.
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6
Stir the ginger juice, soy sauce, and mirin together in the bottom of a small dish.
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7
Put the meat in the dish, turning to coat both sides with ginger marinade.
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8
Refrigerate the meat for 30 minutes, turning it once or twice.
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9
Pour the vegetable oil into a heavy frying pan and place it over high heat.
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10
Once hot, fry the marinated meat, turning it over once or twice, for 4 to 5 minutes.
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11
Reduce the heat to low and pour in the ginger marinade.
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12
Cook the meat 4 to 5 minutes more, turning 2 or 3 times, until well done.
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13
Take the meat out of the pan and let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing it, allowing time for the juices to settle down.
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14
Slice the meat into 1/4-inch-thick strips.
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15
Set aside briefly or refrigerate overnight.
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16
Assembling the Roll.
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17
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
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18
Drop in 1 or 2 lettuce leaves at a time, blanching them for 3 to 5 seconds at most.
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19
Using tongs, remove them from the water and then plunge them into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and set their color.
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20
Drain them on paper towels.
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21
Repeat until all the leaves are blanched.
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22
Slice off, without slicing through the lettuce, the raised back of the lettuce ribs.
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23
Place the plastic-wrapped bamboo mat in front of you with its slats parallel to the edge of the table or countertop.
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24
Lay 2 blanched lettuce leaves down, ribbed side up, on the edge of the wrapped bamboo mat closest to you.
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25
The stalk ends should be slightly overlapping in the middle.
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26
Carefully open them up until they're completely flat.
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27
Their combined shape should be roughly 7 inches wide x 8 inches long.
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28
Fold in the tips of the lettuce if they extend off the bamboo mat.
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29
If a leaf tears, replace it or patch it with pieces of an extra leaf.
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30
Spread 1 cup of prepared sushi rice evenly on the lettuce, leaving a 2-1/2-inch-wide strip of lettuce not covered with rice on the edge farthest away from you.
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31
Lay 2 pieces of pickled mountain burdock, end to end, across the center of the rice, spanning the length of the lettuce.
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32
Bunch one-fourth of the ginger beef up next to the pickled burdock, spanning the length of the lettuce.
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33
Roll up this lettuce-wrapped roll as you would a nori-wrapped sliced roll: Lift the edge of the mat closest to you, keeping your fingers over the fillings.
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34
Roll the mat and its contents away from you until the edge of the mat touches straight down onto the far edge of the rice, enclosing the fillings completely.
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35
Tug on the mat to tighten the roll.
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36
Lift the edge of the mat up and finish rolling it up.
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37
Tug on the mat again to tighten the roll.
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38
Lay a piece of plastic wrap over the roll.
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39
Cut the roll into 8 equal pieces, wiping your knife with a damp towel before each slice.
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40
Make 3 more rolls, following these instructions.
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41
Serve immediately or set aside in a cool place, covered, up to 2 hours.
