Martin Yan's Lettuce Cups

Picholine's Note:

I had always wanted to duplicate this refreshing and savory dish sometimes found in Chinese restaurants. Martin Yan (of Yan Can Cook) didn't let me down! It also happens to be low-carb. I skipped all the veggies except the carrots and was more generous with the sesame oil, sherry and ginger than the amounts listed, so adjust to your taste.

• Total Time: 35 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 5 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 2

• 1/2 lb ground turkey (or minced chicken)
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon dry sherry or 1 tablespoon rice wine
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 6 dried black mushrooms
• 1 small carrot, cut into l/ 4-inch cubes
• 1 small zucchini, cut into l/ 4-inch cubes
• 1 cup diced water chestnut
• 12 leaves small iceberg lettuce, cups
• hoisin sauce
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped toasted walnuts (optional)
• Asian chili sauce (optional)

Directions:

1. Place meat in a bowl with oyster sauce; stir to coat.
2. let stand for 10 minutes.
3. Soak mushrooms in warm water to cover until softened, about 15 minutes; drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the soaking liquid.
4. Trim and discard stems.
5. Chop caps.
6. Place a wok over high heat until hot.
7. Add cooking oil, swirling to coat sides.
8. Add ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 10 seconds.
9. Add meat, stir-fry until meat crumbled and no longer pink (1-3 minutes).
10. Add carrot, zucchini, and water chestnuts; stir-fry for 30 seconds.
11. Add mushrooms and reserved mushroom soaking liquid.
12. Cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes.
13. Add sherry/wine and sesame oil; cook until heated through.
14. If using, add walnuts and toss to coat.
15. To eat, spread hoisin sauce on a lettuce cup, spoon in meat filling, wrap in lettuce cup, and eat out of hand.
16. For spicier palates, top with Asian chili sauce.

Reviews

[Ilysse]

Made these last week and we really enjoyed these. I think I ended up using Vermouth 'cause its all I had. I also skipped the mushrooms. I didn't use the oyster sauce 'cause it isn't koosher but I did use a hoisin sauce in place of it and added extra because we love it. I also used bagged shredded carrots. Easy to make and very yummy. Seved this with jasmine rice that I tossed with sesame oil and sesame seeds. My 7 year old liked the left over mixture (no lettuce) for lunch with the rice one day and in a wrap the next. Thanks for posting.

[alwayscookin]

I love this recipe & so does my family. My 5 y.o. loved the novelty of eating out of a lettuce cup, too. My favorite part of this recipe is that I can 'hide' a lot of chopped veggies in it w/o my picky eaters ever suspecting. Edamame would be a nice addition, too.

[playingw/flavors]

These lettuce cups were a huge success with the in-laws! I used chicken and tweaked the amounts just a bit. I also put some chili sauce in with the chicken to spice it up. It was very tasty and healthy!