FRIDAY
Asian Stir-Fry in Lettuce Cups
The week before Christmas, we tried a new recipe: Ming Tsai’s Asian Sloppy Joe Sliders. This Asian twist on the traditional Sloppy Joe turned out to be a great sandwich which we all enjoyed & it serves as the inspiration for tonight’s dinner. This evening, we were looking for something a bit lighter {read…no bread} with more of a peanut flavor than tomato. I adapted Ming Tsai’s recipe, slightly, to suit our tastes this evening.
Asian Stir-Fry in Lettuce Cups
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 cup chopped scallions
- 1 cup celery hearts, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons Asian Chile Sauce
- 4 large cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
- Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 pound ground chicken thighs
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 cup organic hoisin sauce
- ½ cup chopped peanuts
- whole lettuce leaves for serving {butter lettuce, baby romaine or iceberg}
- lime wedges for serving
Heat the oil in a large deep skillet and cook the scallions, celery, garlic, ginger & chili sauce over medium heat until the vegetables are softened, stirring often.
Add the ground chicken & pork and cook until the meat is no longer pink, breaking up any large pieces of meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks and stirring occasionally. Stir in the hoisin sauce and bring mixture in pan to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until sauce thickens.
Stir in the chopped peanuts and salt & pepper to taste.
Separate lettuce into individual leaves, wash and pat dry. {Note: baby romaine lettuce leaves make a very sturdy cup for the stir-fry mixture but I actually prefer the texture of iceberg lettuce…cold, crisp & a high water content complement the spicy stir-fry mixture}. Spoon stir-fry mixture into lettuce cup, drizzle with freshly-squeezed lime juice, fold lettuce leaf over mixture & enjoy. For our family, 2-3 lettuce wraps per person makes for a satisfying meal.
