Lettuce Wraps

It’s 89°F outside with 98% humidity. We’re under a Tornado Watch, a Severe Thunderstorm Warning, a Flood Advisory, and a Flash Flood Watch. And it’s still May. A perfect time to move back indoors with the air conditioning running and contemplate some good food – something not normally in the rotation…

I picked up a pound of ground pork the other day with no actual plan for it – we didn’t have any and I thought we should. Victor saw it and he thought he should use it to make lettuce wraps. I thought that was a really good idea.

The beauty of not planning meals – but having lots of ingredients in the house – allows for these impromptu feasts – and feast, it was! It’s amazing how something so simple just bursts with flavor. Of course, having lots of things to wrap into your wrap makes all the difference…

Lettuce Wraps

The pork filling is really pretty easy to make – it’s cutting up all of the accompaniments that takes the time. Fortunately, Victor knows his way around a kitchen.

Lettuce Wraps

Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
  • 1 tbsp sriracha
  • 1 hot pepper, minced
  • 1 head lettuce, leaves separated
  • 1 large carrot, julienned
  • 2 scallions, chopped
  • 1 watermelon radish, julienned
  • 1 cucumber, chopped

Method:

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, 2 minutes. Add ground pork and cook until no longer pink. Add hot pepper, hoisin sauce and Sriracha and stir until combined.

Spoon pork into lettuce leaves and top with carrots, scallions, watermelon radish, and cucumbers, and drizzle with additional hoisin and sriracha. Fold up and enjoy!

Perfection on a plate.

Lettuce Wraps

Like a taco, they’re fun to eat and just slightly messy. Lots of crunch, lots of flavor, and just the right amount of heat. I can see these happening a bit more often.

The leftovers are going to be reworked into a chicken and pork salad, tomorrow, since I roasted a chicken last night and there’s plenty left over. I’m thinking lentils, right now, but that is subject to change.

What I do know, is there are more fun meals yet to come!