Asian Lettuce Wraps with Ground Turkey

A few weeks ago, my boyfriend and I took quick trip down to SoCal to visit his family -- a trip that typically involves a lot of eating and drinking, with very little exercise.

 

Upon our return, I was craving something light and healthy, but had no specific hankering. Knowing I had some ground turkey in the freezer, I did what I often do when I'm in search of inspiration -- I headed over to Tastepotting.com, did a quick search for "ground turkey," and clicked on the most salivation-inducing delicacy I could find.

 

This approach led me to Kalyn's Kitchen, which appears to cater to South Beach dieters. I was pleased that these lettuce wraps were not only light and healthy, but also fun to make and eat. The finished product tasted amazingly similar to Pad Ka Prow, which my boyfriend and I order from Marnee Thai at least once every other week. Perhaps this recipe will have to become part of the regular rotation....

 

Asian Lettuce Wraps with Ground Turkey
(from Kalyn's Kitchen, adapted from California Sol Food)

• 1 T vegetable oil (or peanut oil)
• 3 T minced shallots (or red onions)
• 2 T minced garlic
• 2 T grated ginger root
• 1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey
• 4 T soy sauce
• 1 T Chile Garlic Sauce (or more, depending on how much heat you desire/can tolerate)
• 1 tsp. fish sauce
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/3 cup chopped peanuts (optional)
• 1 large or 2 small heads butter lettuce, Boston lettuce, or iceberg lettuce  

Chop onion and set aside.  Peel ginger root, then grate with the LARGE side of a cheese grater (*I did not read this closely, and had the most awful time trying to use the small side), and chop 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 ground turkey to frying pan (with a bit more oil if needed) and break apart.  Add 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. 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 (if using) 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. To prepare, take a lettuce leaf, fill with desired amount of turkey mixture, add chopped peanuts, fold the lettuce leaf over like a taco, and enjoy!