There are many, MANY reasons why I am not and could not be a food blogger. One of them is that I never remember to take pictures of food while I'm making it. Sometimes I strike upon a great dinner by chance/luck/skills and I'm like, "man, if only I'd taken pictures, I could blog about this!" But then again, since my blog has no real specific direction, I can blog about whatever the heck I feel like, pictures or not. Right? Right. A week or so ago, I made the best (BEST!) pork lettuce cups. I often make some version of stir-fried ground meat with Asian seasonings and serve it in lettuce leaves. But, for years, I've never really had a go-to recipe. I've made different ones, or just improvised, but I've never found a go-to, staple recipe. The wait is over. This one is it. A keeper. It was so good. Easy to make, yet super flavorful. Pretty much what we're all striving for in the dinner department, no?
And then, icing on the cake, I made it again the other day and remembered to take pictures. So, basically, I am a food blogger?
Spicy Pork Lettuce Wraps Serves 2-3. Easily doubled.
1lb ground pork
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1c shredded or sliced carrots
2 garlic cloves, minced
2T minced peeled ginger
1t Siracha 1t sugar
2T fish sauce
2t sesame oil
2T plus
1T grapeseed oil
4 scallions, thinly sliced
2T oyster sauce
1/4c (large handful) mint leaves, roughly chopped
1/4c (large handful) fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
1/4c (large handful) fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
24 Boston or iceberg lettuce leaves
1. Mix the pork, red bell pepper, carrots, garlic, ginger, siracha, sugar, fish sauce, sesame oil, and 2T grapeseed oil in a bowl.
2. Heat remaining 1T grapeseed oil in a wok or large pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the bowl of meat, vegertables and seasonings. Stir-fry until the pork is cooked through. Don't stir constantly; allow the pork to brown in spots.
3. Remove from heat, and add the oyster sauce, scallions, mint, basil, and cilantro. Stir to combine. (Alternatively, allow meat to cool to room temperature, and then add the herbs. This will keep them from wilting as much.)
4. Serve alongside lettuce leaves, with additional Siracha if desired.