Lettuce Wraps - Take Two!

Awhile back I did a post for PF Chang's lettuce wraps.  I wasn't overly pleased with how they turned out and I certainly didn't think they were PF Chang quality.  I've had a serious hankering for lettuce wraps so I set out in search of better recipe.  And did I find it!  WHOOOHOOO!!!!

This recipe is SO much more flavorful that the one I found at recipezaar.  But what can you expect from a web site that doesn't spell czar correctly?  I hate this 'cute' little marketing ploy everyone does these days by spelling their names incorrectly.  How are the kids of this country going to learn to spell?  But I get side tracked. :) 

I found this recipe on my all time favorite recipe web site allrecipes.com...notice they spell their name correctly. :)  This recipe received an almost perfect five star scoring out of almost 17,000 people!  IT ROCKED!!!!  Even Alex was impressed and he isn't as fond of cute finger foods as I am. 

Lettuce Wraps - the RIGHT way!
16 Boston Bibb or butter lettuce leaves

1 pound lean ground beef
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons minced pickled ginger
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
Asian chile pepper sauce (optional)
1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 teaspoons Asian (dark) sesame oil

Rinse whole lettuce leaves and pat dry, being careful not tear them. Set aside.

In a medium skillet over high heat, brown the ground beef in 1 tablespoon of oil, stirring often and reducing the heat to medium, if necessary. Drain, and set aside to cool. Cook the onion in the same pan, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar, and chile pepper sauce to the onions, and stir. Stir in chopped water chestnuts, green onions, and sesame oil, and continue cooking until the onions just begin to wilt, about 2 minutes.

Arrange lettuce leaves around the outer edge of a large serving platter, and pile meat mixture in the center. To serve, allow each person to spoon a portion of the meat into a lettuce leaf. Wrap the lettuce around the meat like a burrito, and enjoy!


The recipe calls for ground beef...which I am not a fan of...so I used cooked chicken breasts that I cut up into cubes and cooked in the sauce. I also 86'd the water chestnuts and replaced them with cashews...SO MUCH BETTER!!!  This recipe is going to be a repeater.