That's A Wrap
As a whole, I'm not a huge fan of wraps, unless they are of the lettuce variety. For my part, there's way too much wrap and not enough of everything else. I take no joy in biting into a solid inch and a half of whole-grain tortilla. Lettuce wraps, on the other hand, are a totally different animal. They're fresh and crunchy and conveniently hand-sized. You can fill them with a dazzling array of delicious ingredients, from shrimp salad to tofu to turkey.
My favorite kind of lettuce wraps are of the Asian persuasion (shock, I know). I love the combination of flavors and textures: spicy, salty, tangy, crunchy, cool, the list goes on and on. And because I'm trying to steer away from A) spending money because I am a poor little churchmouse and B) eating stuff with a lot of crap preservatives and chemicals in it, I decided to make my own.
AND THEY WERE SO GOOD OH MY GOD.
The best part about this recipe is that you can change it up so much, depending on what your tastes are. I used organic ground chicken but you could use turkey, pork or even pan fried tofu (yum yum yum). The sauce is also easily customized based on how spicy you like things. I like heat, so I piled on the Sriracha but it's totally up to you. Also once you've done all your prep work, this takes hardly any time to come together.
As far as toppings go, I used raw carrots and snow peas, finely julienned, crushed peanuts, scallions and lime juice. You could also add scrambled egg, peppers, jalapeños and even fruit like pineapple or mango. Actually, mango would be delicious. Do that.
You can use large lettuce leaves if you can find a good head of lettuce but I used green cabbage because it holds up a lot better. There is a slightly fibrous rib that runs down the cabbage leaf but it's not terrible to chew through. Besides, fiber is good for you. And finally, this may seem like not a lot of sauce for the filling, but trust me it's enough. You don't want it to be too soupy.
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground chicken, pork, turkey or extra firm tofu, drained and crumbled
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 white onion, finely minced
2 inches ginger root, finely minced
White parts of 1 green onion or scallion
Sesame oil or flavorless oil
For the sauce:
1/2 c. peanut sauce (preferably without any weird additives, Lee Kum Kee is a good brand)
1 1/2 tbs. oyster sauce
3 tbs. mirin
3 tbs. Sriracha (or to taste)
Garnishes:
2 c. cooked basmati rice
Lime wedges
1/2 c. julienned carrots
1/2 c. julienned snow peas
1/4 c. crushed peanuts
Green parts of a scallion or green onion
10-15 large lettuce or cabbage leaves
Etc.
Directions:
1. Heat a large, dry sautee pan over medium-high heat or until drops of water tossed onto it sizzle instantly. Coat the pan well in sesame oil. Reduce heat to medium. Add the ginger, garlic, onion and scallion and sautee carefully, making sure not to burn anything, until onion starts to soften. Add the meat and break apart with a wooden spoon. Continue to cook.
2. In a separate bowl, combine all ingredients for the sauce and whisk well to combine. Set aside.
3. When the meat is almost completely cooked, add the sauce and stir well to combine. Increase heat to medium high and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes or until the sauce is slightly reduced. Reserve to a separate bowl.
4. Construct wraps with about 1/4 c. rice and 1/4 c. filling along with whatever toppings you choose. Be careful not to over-fill the leaf so that everything just comes barfing out one side of the wrap.
