Thai Lettuce Wraps

On one of our first dates, Kishore took me to P.F. Chang's. He said it was one of his favorite places to eat for one particular dish. The entire 30 minute drive I was trying to coax it out of him but he kept saying, "Wait till you try it." I'd never been to P.F. Chang's, so I was curious what the food would be like...Would it be Americanized Chinese food almost too sweet to eat, more traditional, or fusion cuisine? Well, I'll tell you what it was...it was delicious!
Tender Romaine hearts were served with lightly sweet, spiced ground chicken with sauce on the side...it was very, very tasty and this wasn't the first time I'd tasted it. I'd had something similar before at our favorite local Thai restaurant. The restaurant simply called it 'Nam' and it is a favorite to order on hot summer nights. It's a great, satisfying summer meal; very little cooking and filling without being heavy. Crunchy lettuce leaves filled with fragrant ground pork with hints of lime, topped with a sweet and tangy peanut sauce...Just talking about it makes me hungry!

Here is my recipe for these tasty Thai Lettuce Wraps with Ground Pork and Lime:


Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. Ground Pork/Chicken/Turkey
1 Medium Yellow Onion, chopped
1/2 cup Fresh Bean Sprouts
1 TBLSP Garlic Ginger Paste
1 bunch Green Onions, chopped
Handful of Fresh Cilantro, chopped
1 Head of Lettuce (Romaine hearts/Iceberg)
1 TBLSP Black Soy Sauce
1 TBLSP Hoisin Sauce
1 TBLSP Fish Sauce
1 TBLSP Chili Oil
1/4 tsp sugar
1 TBLSP Red Pepper Flakes
1 Lime

For Garnish: Here's my recipe for Peanut Sauce

Prep Work: Make Peanut Sauce. Clean Lettuce leaves, and slice Scallions. Mix the Soy Sauce, Fish Sauce, Sugar and Red Pepper flakes.

Directions:
1. Heat the Chili oil in a frying pan over medium heat, then add onions and garlic ginger paste.

2. Add the Ground Pork, Hoisin Sauce, and Soy Sauce mixture.

3. After the Pork has browned add the juice of one Lime, chopped Cilantro, Bean Sprouts and Sliced Scallions and mix throughly.

Serve with Lettuce, Peanut Sauce, and a slice of Lime.

Enjoy!