Asian Lettuce Wraps

About a year ago I was watching FoodTV and there was a mention of Asian Lettuce Wraps and I had always wanted to try them, SO, I went to allrecipes.com and found this recipe that sounded good.  I made them for my hubby and they quickly became a favorite.  I later cooked them for my in-laws and they also loved them.  The recipe was submitted by Rachel Castro and you can find her recipe here.  The only modification I made was to use fresh ginger instead of the pickled and for heat I use Siracha (beware:  this stuff isn't tame).

Here is what I use:

Brown and drain your meat:

Cook onions thru Siracha:

Add the rest of your ingredients:

Grab a lettuce leaf, fill it with the mixture and yummy!

INGREDIENTS:
1 head Boston Bibb or Butter lettuce, leaves separated
1 lb lean ground beef
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 (8 oz) can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 tsp sesame oil

DIRECTIONS:
1.  Rinse and pat dry lettuce leaves.  Set aside.

2.  In a medium skillet, over high heat, brown ground beef in oil, stirring often and reducing heat if needed.  Drain and set aside to cool.

3.  Cook onion in the same pan, stirring often.  Once onions have softened, ass the garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar and Siracha.  Stir until combined.

4.  Stir in water chestnuts, green onions, sesame oil and cooked beef.  Continue cooking until the green onions just begin to wilt.

5.  Arrange lettuce leaves around the edge of a large platter and pile the meat mixture in the center.  To serve, place desired amount of meat mixture onto the lettuce leaf, wrap like a burrito and enjoy!
I like to serve these with rice or buckwheat soba noodles.  If I'm feeling industrious, I will also make a quick hot and sour soup.

This is a versatile recipe.  You can use just about any ground meat or a vegetarian crumble. You can adjust the heat level by using your favorite hot sauce, or leave it out.  I really suggest not leaving the water chestnuts out.  You really need the crunch they give the dish.  But the flavors are so good that if you happen to hate them, you won't lose anything flavor-wise by leaving them out.  Let me know if you try it and if you like it.

Thanks for stopping by!