Thai Lettuce Cups

A fresh, light mid-week meal that’s packed with flavour.

THAI LETTUCE CUPS

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 10 mins

Servings: 4

GF, DF

INGREDIENTS

Sauce

• 1 Tbsp brown sugar

• 3 Tbsp fish sauce

• Juice of 1 large lime

• 1/2-1 tsp sriracha

• 2 tsp cornflour

Stir-fry

• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil

• 3 cloves garlic, crushed

• 2 tsp fresh grated or crushed ginger

• 1 brown onion, diced

• 3 cups finely diced stir-fry vegetables (see notes)

• 500g chicken or pork mince

• 2-3 Tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves and stems

To Serve

• 1 lettuce (see notes)

• steamed jasmine rice or coconut rice (optional)

• coriander leaves

• finely chopped unsalted peanuts (optional)

METHOD

Prep

• Mix sauce ingredients together in a bowl or jug and set aside.

• Crush the garlic, grate the ginger, dice the onion and dice the stir-fry vegetables.

• If serving with rice, start steaming prior to cooking the stir fry.

• Remove the leaves from the lettuce and arrange on plates, ready to fill

Cook

1. Heat a wok or large frypan over high heat then add 1 Tbsp of oil.

2. When oil is hot, stir fry garlic, ginger and onion for 30 seconds then add stir fry veggies, cook for another couple of minutes then transfer to a plate

3. Bring the wok back up to high heat then heat another Tbsp of oil. Add the mince, spread it out into a thin layer and let it sear for a couple of minutes. Break it up into small pieces and stir fry for a few minutes or until cooked through

4. Add the vegetables back into the pan, give the sauce a quick stir to combine and pour into the pan.

5. Stir fry for another couple of mins, taste and adjust spice/sugar levels then turn off the heat.

6. Spoon carefully into the lettuce cups and garnish with coriander leaves and finely chopped peanuts (if using).

NOTES

• Meat: This works best with pork or chicken mince- you could use beef mince also.

• Lettuce: Look for a lettuce that has small- medium sturdy cups. The baby gem lettuce is always my favourite and generally readily available but prices can vary throughout the year. If you’re unable to source a suitable lettuce, You can make the filling as a stir-fry and serve it with rice- still delicious!

• Vegetables: Choose stir-fry veggies that are in season. If possible select a range of colourful vegetables. I used 1 red capsicum, 1 zucchini and 1 carrot which yielded about 3 cups of diced vegetables. If you have fresh mint or Thai Basil handy, add in a couple of Tbsp (chopped)for added freshness.

• Dietary: For Gluten-free, ensure that your sauces are all GF. For Meat- free, add tofu and double the amount of veggies.

• Spice: I use 1 tsp of sriracha and consider it still to be fairly mild. If you have a low tolerance for spice, start with 1/2 tsp. Keep in mind that different brands have different levels of heat.

• Coconut rice: I like to serve this with coconut rice- I cook this using the absorption method on the stove using 2 cups of rice, 1 400ml tin of coconut milk or cream and 1 1/4 cups water with 1 Tbsp caster sugar and 1/2 tsp salt.

• Leftovers: Store leftover stir-fry in the fridge for 2 days, reheat in the microwave or in a wok/pan . This recipe can be frozen but is best eaten fresh.