no. 2 | let's make: lettuce cups

Lettuce cups are essentially the cooler, older sister of salads. Here's my favorite, no-fuss way to make them, and a gratifying family-style setup for serving (even if it's all for you).

A few weeks ago I went to an unsuspectingly delicious Thai hole-in-the-wall when I was visiting my boyfriend’s family in the South Bay Area. We tried so many dishes, but one of them has genuinely changed the way I see lettuce cups, forever. This dish had all the perfect elements and then some, leveling up the everyday lettuce cup with crispy rice and a lao sausage on the side. It was glorious. In my humble opinion, lettuce cups are essentially the cooler, older sister of salads. It’s less fuss because it’s deconstructed, saves so much better for later since it’s not smothered in dressing, and it’s a much more personal experience putting together your bites exactly how you want.

With this being said—the lettuce cup recipe I’m about to share with you is nowhere near as delicious as the dish I had at this Thai restaurant. I promise you, though, that this meal packs so much flavor into small bites, it’s gluten and dairy-free for my stomach-sensitive girlies, and it’s just really tasty. It’s also different than my usual repertoire, and has opened up a whole world of possibilities (seriously, you can put anything you want in these).

Here’s how I made it:

For the filling:

• 1lb ground chicken (pork or beef works too)

• 1/2 cup chopped spring onions

• 1 shallot, diced

• 2 tbsp soy sauce

• 1/2 tbsp sesame oil

• 1 knob ginger, grated (sub: 1 tbsp ginger powder)

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tbsp honey (optional, if you like a sweeter profile)

• Salt and white (or black) pepper, to taste

For the sauce, equal parts of:

• Soy sauce

• Sweet chili sauce

• Rice vinegar

Vegging out:

• Baby gem or butter lettuce

• Radishes, sliced

• Cucumbers, sliced

• Mint leaves, whole (or chopped if preferred)

• Spring onions, chopped

Other:

• Cooking oil (I recommend avocado or olive oil)

• Peanuts, crushed (optional: add for a nice textural crunch)

• Avocado, sliced (optional: I didn’t use it but it would be a nice way to play with texture and flavor as well)

1. Mix all the ingredients for your filling in a large bowl. In the meantime, heat a pan over medium-high heat.

2. Once your pan is hot, add your cooking oil (something with a higher smoke point, like avocado oil, is a great option), and quickly add a small piece of your meat to the pan. The idea here is to quickly cook a tiny piece of the meat so you can taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. If you have full faith in yourself (and me, somehow), then go ahead and skip this step.

3. Add your meat to the pan, and allow the bottom layer to brown, chopping up the meat into small pieces with your spatula as it cooks (this keeps the meat from becoming a conglomerate and clumping into one big piece).

Pro tip: my mom taught me to add a sprinkle of baking soda when cooking, (particularly frying) any meat. Baking soda acts as a meat tenderizer by changing the pH levels on the surface, and makes it more difficult for the proteins in the meat to bond (aka stay tough). It also creates a better browning effect! This is also called “velveting” your meat. It works better for meats with larger surface areas, but I don’t see any harm in going for it with ground meat. Just don’t overdo it or you’ll have extra salty, slightly bitter meat.

4. Once your meat is browned and broken into smaller bits, turn the heat off and let sit. This is a good time to prep and chop your vegetables.

5. A mandolin or a sharpened knife is the best method for chopping your radishes and cucumbers. I like chopping these into coins, but you can also julienne (matchstick cut) the cucumbers for a different texture.

6. Wash and pull apart your lettuce so you have “cups” or pieces that will act as a vessel for your meat and toppings.

Ingredient note: my favorite lettuce to use here is baby gem, because they naturally hold the shape of a cup but are pliable enough that they don’t immediately break in half. The flavor is also great.

7. Chop your spring onions and peanuts to top the meat with. Now, it’s assembly time.

Serving note: I like to assemble everything on a plate (with my meat in a bowl and dipping sauce in a small dish), this way it’s easy to grab. It’s also nice if you’re not feeling one of the toppings for one of your lettuce cups–it’s your journey, you can pick and choose.

My PEMDAS, or order of lettuce cup operations, is as follows: lettuce, meat, cucumbers, radishes, mint, drizzle of dipping sauce. Repeat. But roll with whatever speaks to you. This is a great meal for packing into a lunch box to bring to work as well (as the assembly happens while you’re eating it). Let me know if you try it!