When you are craving Asian flavors, but not quite the tired old stir-fry, consider adding a fresh twist by taking your meal off the bed of rice and wrapping it in a lettuce leaf! It's a nice, fresh way to add a taste of summer to your meal, too.
For lettuce wraps, forego the traditional heads you find in the grocery store and look for a small head of Boston lettuce. The smaller leaves are cup-shaped and hold fillings really well, you need only spoon a little into the center and wrap the edges around it and you're ready to eat!
A word of warning: these are pretty messy little morsels! Make sure you have plenty of napkins around. Better yet, enjoy them outdoors and go play in the sprinkler afterwards! Yay for summer!
As always, I encourage you to share your recipe ideas and comments. You can always post comments using the forms provided in the articles or email me directly at . Enjoy!
Asian Pork Lettuce Wraps
- 2 T. peanut oil
- 1 lb. pork tenderloin -- trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 red pepper -- cleaned and sliced
- 1 c. chopped snap peas
- 1 small zucchini -- halved and sliced
- 1/4 c. hoisin sauce
- 1 tsp. Thai chile-garlic paste
- 2 T. fried garlic -- optional (look for in an Asian grocery)
- 1 small head Boston lettuce
Heat the oil in a skillet over high heat. Add the pork and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Add the remaining vegetables and stir-fry another 5-7 minutes or until the meat is fully cooked and the vegetables are crisp-tender. Add the hoisin sauce, chile-garlic paste and fried garlic, if desired, and remove from the heat. Serve hot wrapped in cleaned Boston lettuce leaves.
- Yields: 4 servings
- Preparation Time: 20 minutes