Lettuce Wraps

Lettuce Wraps

My lettuce wraps are... to die for - at least that’s what I have been told. Just fill, fold and eat!  They are not just delicious; they are loads of fun.

They are visually impressive and a palate pleaser.  Lettuce wraps are thought of as a restaurant dish and appear too exotic and time consuming to whip up at home.  Not true, they are easy – easy – easy.

I always try to turn difficult into easy when it comes to cooking, without compromising any of the flavor.  All the work is in the prep.  So remember the trick to a successful stir fry is having everything ready before you start cooking because once the cooking starts, it's FAST!

Rinse, chill, chop, mix and cook –YOU’RE DONE!

RINSE & CHILL

Don’t neglect this simple step, it makes all the difference!

It is really important to make sure your lettuce is very crispy.  Nothings worse than a lettuce wrap with droopy lifeless lettuce.  To assure that you have crispy lettuce; rinse in cold tap water and let sit on a paper towel in the fridge until you are ready to eat.  I prefer iceberg lettuce because it has the best crunch.  But you could use any type of lettuce.  Just make sure it is well chilled.

CHOP

Buy sliced water chestnuts and half of your work chopping will be done for you.

MIX

I mix the ginger, garlic, green onions and Serrano right in to the meat so it will be well flavored and not just get its flavor from the sauce.

COOK

Make sure your wok/pan is hot before cooking. 

911

Have a small pot of rice on hand when you make these.  Just in case you run out of lettuce… this is delicious over rice too.

LETTUCE WRAPS
printable recipe

1              head      iceberg lettuce, cleaned and chilled or butter lettuce

1                              red bell pepper, seeded and diced small

1              8oz.        canned water chestnuts, drained and chopped

1              Tbsp.     sesame oil

FILLING

1              pound   ground pork or chicken

1              slice       ginger, minced

1              clove     garlic, minced

2              stalks     green onion, chopped

1              med.     Serrano chili, minced

2              tsp.        cornstarch

SAUCE

1              Tbsp.     soy sauce

2              Tbsp.     oyster sauce

2              Tbsp.     hoisin sauce

2              Tbsp.     water

1              Tbsp.     dry sherry

1              tsp.        sugar

1              tsp.        cornstarch

Remove the core from the lettuce and slice the head in half from top to core.  Rinse with cold tap water.  Place cut side down on a paper towel and put it in the fridge to chill (this will make it crispy).

Mix the ground meat with the ginger, garlic, green onions, serrano and cornstarch.

Mix the sauce ingredients together.

Heat a wok on high.  When it is HOT; add the sesame oil and brown the meat.

When the meat is browned; add the red bell pepper and water chestnuts. Cook for about a minute.

Stir the sauce to make sure the cornstarch is disolved and add to the meat.  Cook until the sauce thickens.

Place lettuce on a plate and fill with filling.  ENJOY!!!