Thai Pork Lettuce Wraps

A friend of mine posted this recipe on the now abandoned August Cooks blog, and I've really loved it for ages, though haven't made it since last summer.

Lime, sriracha, jalapeno, shallots, brown sugar, fish sauce... This recipe hits all the right notes, sweet, spicy, salty, sour. Amped up with some pickled carrots (leftover from a batch based on Gwyneth Paltrow's recipe) and cucumber, these wraps are pretty much heaven on a plate for me.

What I love most about it is how messy they are! Be prepared for dripping juices.

Thai Pork Lettuce Wraps

(adapted from August Cooks)

Ingredients

½ tbsp canola oil
1 lb ground pork
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium shallot, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
juice of one lime
1½ tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp sriracha

pickled carrots
sliced cucumber
washed, separated leaves boston or bibb lettuce (about 12-16)
handfuls of chopped fresh mint, cilantro and basil

Directions

1. Heat canola oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add pork, garlic, shallot and jalapeno. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pork is browned and fat is rendered. Drain fat from pan. Return to heat, reducing temperature to low while preparing the lime mixture.

2. Mix together lime juice, fish sauce, brown sugar and sriracha. Pour over pork. Return heat to medium and stir until liquid has mostly been absorbed. Remove skillet from element.

3. Using lettuce as a cup, place some carrots and cucumbers inside, then top with a couple tablespoons pork mixture. Sprinkle herbs over top, and repeat with remaining lettuce leaves and pork.

Serves 3-4.

Green Curry with Bok Choy

Thai food has got to be some of my favourite food on the planet. Or, at least that's what it was on our most recent Monday Bachelor Fest Vegan Extravaganza.

Ask me tomorrow, and it's probably going to be the chicken wings I'm planning on making for the Superbowl.

I don't have a favourite food; I have a food I'm craving right now.

Now, making Thai food vegan is problematic because of the fish sauce. That savoury, umami goodness just can't be replicated. Even the good folks over at Moosewood haven't found the perfect vegan substitute for it - at least that's what they say in their Sundays at Moosewood cookbook.

And I won't pretend that I don't think this recipe could benefit from a tablespoon or two of fish sauce. In my opinion, it could.

Having said that, without the fish sauce, it's still pretty darned tasty. And what's not to love? Fresh herbs, coconut milk, serrano peppers... it's just a total winning combination.

And I may have stood over the stove with a spoon eating the leftover sauce.

I said may have.

...

Okay. I totally did.

Green Curry with Bok Choy

(Cooking Light Jan/Feb 2011)

Ingredients

1/2  cup  chopped fresh cilantro
2  tablespoons  chopped peeled fresh ginger
2  teaspoons  ground coriander
2  teaspoons  ground cumin
8  garlic cloves, peeled
3  small serrano chiles, seeded
2  large shallots, coarsely chopped
4  cups  coarsely chopped broccoli florets (about 1 head)
2  cups  (1/2-inch-thick) slices baby bok choy
2  teaspoons  dark sesame oil
4  teaspoons  sugar
1  tablespoon  lower-sodium soy sauce
3/4  teaspoon  kosher salt
3  Kaffir lime leaves
1  (13.5-ounce) can light coconut milk
1  (14-ounce) package water-packed organic firm tofu, drained and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1/4  cup  fresh lime juice
2  cups  hot cooked long-grain white rice
1/4  cup  chopped fresh basil
2  tablespoons  chopped fresh mint
Directions
  

1. Combine first 7 ingredients in a food processor; process until smooth. Set aside.

2. Cook broccoli florets in boiling water in a large Dutch oven 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove broccoli from water with a slotted spoon; drain and rinse with cold water. Drain; set aside. Return water to a boil. Add baby bok choy to pan; cook 1 minute. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain; set aside.

3. Heat Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add cilantro mixture to pan; sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add sugar and next 4 ingredients (through coconut milk) to pan; bring to a boil.

Add tofu; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 6 minutes or until slightly thick. Add broccoli, bok choy, and juice; cook 1 minute or until heated, tossing to combine.

Discard lime leaves. Place 1/2 cup rice in each of 4 bowls; spoon 1 1/2 cups tofu mixture over each serving. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon basil and 1 1/2 teaspoons mint over each serving.

Leftovers for Lunch

I had half a sweet potato sitting forlornly on the second shelf of my fridge. I don't remember using the other half, but judging from the state of affairs, I probably used it about week or so ago.

As I look out the window, I can see the wind outside is whipping the snow off the roof of the house next door. It's been doing that all morning, which makes me very happy that I have a PA day today and I get to hang out with my massive pile of marking inside.

Of course, I spent all morning not marking but thinking about lunch.

I knew I wanted to do something with that sweet potato and the organic brown rice I'd just picked up from the new health food store on Bloor.

And something to do with the bag of mushrooms I'd bought on Monday but hadn't touched at all since.

I knew I wanted a bit of heat. Something Thai-inspired felt like the way to go.

It didn't have to be pretty. It just had to taste awesome.

Sweet Potato Mushroom Thai Stir-Fry

Ingredients

1 tbsp canola oil
½ sweet potato, peeled and cut into matchsticks (the thinner you cut them, the faster they'll cook)
1 shallot, peeled, halved and sliced
4 large button mushrooms, sliced*
one handful baby spinach, trimmed
one palmful cilantro, chopped
cooked brown rice

Marinade/Sauce

2 tbsp fish sauce
4 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp brown sugar
¼ - 1 tsp sriracha

*For the record, I quartered half of mine and sliced and marinated the other half. Next time, I'd slice and marinate all of them.

Directions

1. Mix all marinade ingredients together and add sliced mushrooms to it. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or so.

2. Heat oil in wok over high heat. When shimmering, add sweet potatoes and shallots. Stir fry for 5 minutes or until sweet potatoes begin to colour and soften.

3. Add in mushrooms and marinade. You may wish to throw in 2 tbsp of water as well, to help the sweet potatoes cook. Stir fry until sweet potatoes are desired tenderness.

4. Add in spinach and stir fry for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until spinach is wilted.

unwilted

wilted

6. Remove from heat, stir in cilantro and serve over hot rice. Makes enough for 2.

Add a lime slice for bonus flavour!

August Cooks

If you haven't already, you should check out this project that some of the girls from the Knot's August '09 board have been participating in this past month! It's called August Cooks, and we try out new recipes together each week!

This week's recipe? Thai Lettuce Rolls.

Before plating.

It's basically ground meat mixed with fish sauce, sriracha, sugar, lime, basil, mint and cilantro. I think it's the fresh herbs that really sell me on this dish!

mint, purple basil and cilantro

You pile it all on to lettuce leaves and make a huge mess.

Just wrap it up and pop it in!

It was SO good. I think I ate 5 rolls and could have easily eaten more. So, to say that I really just adored this recipe would be something of an understatement! Click here for the how to!