Spicy Ginger Pork Lettuce Wraps

My son is on school break and is home for a month.  I’ve been focusing on making heartier fare (as you know Molli and I are quite content with soup and salad) along with some of his favorites.  The other night I asked him what he wanted to have for dinner the following day.  I knew the answer before he actually answered me.  My son has loved Asian inspired food since he was a toddler.  Alex was one of those little boys who had no time to eat.  He was far too busy for such a mundane activity.  We soon discovered that he had a soft spot for chicken and broccoli, lo mein and dumplings.  Oh how he loved his pork dumplings!  The odd thing is that pork dumplings were my lunch of choice while I was pregnant with him.  Coincidental or not, his love of Asian food has evolved over the years and his recent favorite is Spicy Ginger Pork Lettuce Wraps.  What’s not to love?  These are delicious, healthy and a nice departure from the usual dinner choices.  I started with a Food And Wine recipe from 2006 and have made my own little tweaks with the addition of shitake mushrooms, fresh mint and a yummy sauce to drizzle on top.  Warning, these are highly addictive!

Spicy Ginger Pork Lettuce Wraps

1-tablespoon canola oil

¾ pound of shitake mushroom caps, sliced

1-½ lbs ground pork

1 ½ red bell peppers, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons peeled ginger, finely chopped (you can grate the ginger as well but I prefer mine a bit chunky)

3 tablespoons Thai sweet chile sauce

2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce

2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil

1 tablespoon olive oil

One 8-ounce can whole water chestnuts, drained and sliced

5 scallions, white and pale green parts only, thinly sliced

4 tablespoons oyster sauce

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons chopped mint

12-15 Boston lettuce leaves

In a large bowl, combine the ground pork with the bell pepper, garlic, ginger, chile sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

In a large skillet, heat the canola oil until shimmering.  Add the shitake mushrooms and cook until they are browned a bit around 3-4 minutes.  Add the pork mixture and stir-fry over medium-high heat, breaking it up, until it is cooked through and starting to brown, about 8 minutes.  Stir in the water chestnuts, scallions, oyster sauce, cilantro and mint and remove from the heat.

Spoon the pork into lettuce leaves, drizzle with some sauce and eat!

Sauce for Lettuce Wraps

 3 Tablespoons soy sauce

3 Tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar

1-teaspoon sesame oil

¼ teaspoon Siracha sauce (we like the heat so we use more)

Whisk all ingredients together and serve with lettuce wraps.