ASIAN LETTUCE CUPS

ASIAN LETTUCE CUPS image

Categories turkey

Yield 5 servings

Number Of Ingredients 20

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Ingredients

1 T peanut oil or vegetable oil (or slightly more, depending on the pan you have)
3 T minced red onion or shallots
2 T minced garlic (I used minced garlic from a jar but fresh garlic would be even better)
2 T grated ginger root
1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey
4 T soy sauce
1 T Chile Garlic Sauce
1 tsp. fish sauce
1 package of mushrooms, any variety, roughly chopped
1 can of waterchestnuts, drained & minced
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro (about 1/2 large bunch)
1/3 cup chopped peanuts (optional)
1 large head or 2 small heads Boston Lettuce or butter lettuce, or substitute 1 head iceberg lettuce
Dipping sauce
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
3/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar*
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon oriental sesame oil
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Steps:

For dipping sauce: Stir sesame seeds in heavy small skillet over medium heat until golden, about 5 minutes. Place toasted sesame seeds in small bowl; cool. Mix in soy sauce, unseasoned rice vinegar, fresh lime juice, oriental sesame oil, and cayenne pepper. For wraps: Chop onion and set aside. Peel ginger root, then grate with the large side of a cheese grater, and chop garlic if using fresh garlic. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan, add onion and saute about 2 minutes, then add garlic and ginger root and saute about one minute more. Add waterchestnuts and ground turkey to frying pan (with a bit more oil if needed) and break apart and spread out with turner, then add mushrooms, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, and fish sauce. Cook until the turkey is brown and crumbling apart, and the sauce is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. While turkey cooks, wash and chop fresh cilantro to make 1 cup. Remove the core end from lettuce, separate leaves, and wash in salad spinner and spin dry (or wash under running water and dry with paper towels.) Chop peanuts and put in small bowl to serve at the table. When turkey is done, add chopped cilantro and cook 1-2 minutes more. Serve filling and lettuce leaves in separate bowls, with chopped peanuts in another small bowl. Each person takes a lettuce leaf, fills with desired amount of turkey mixture, adds chopped peanuts, and then eats the mixture from the lettuce cup. I fold the lettuce cup over when I eat it, so it's kind of taco-shaped, but some people like to wrap the lettuce clear around the filling.