Tag Archives: asian

Lettuce Pork Rolls

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porkrolls

Realizing this is my fourth Asian inspired recipe on the site, I’m seeing a pattern here….

Anyway, this recipe is great for a quick and easy lunch on the weekends.   Light, flavorful and fast. 

Dressing:

  • 1 tbs Asian fish sauce (see tips)
  • juice of one lime
  • 2 tsp minced ginger (see tips)
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2  tsp minced lemongrass
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • splash of rice wine vinegar

 

Whisk all ingredients and set aside.

Pork Rolls:

  • 2 tsp grape seed oil (you can substitute with canola if you’d like)
  • 1 lb boneless pork cutlets, about 1/2″ in thickness
  • 2 cups shredded napa cabbage
  • 1 seedless english cucumber, julienned (see tips)
  • 1 red pepper, sliced into thin strips
  • head of butter lettuce, ribs removed (see tips)
  • salt and pepper

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Season cutlets with salt and pepper to taste.  Saute until lightly browned, about 2 mins per side.  Remove from heat, allow to cool slightly and slice into thin strips.  Toss with half of the dressing.

Toss your cabbage, red pepper and cucumbers with the remaining dressing. 

To assemble rolls, lay lettuce leaf out on flat work surface and top with a few slices of pork, and your cabbage mixture.  Be careful not to overstuff or they won’t roll easily.  Place rolls seam side down and cut in half to serve.  If you’d like, secure rolls with a toothpick.

Tips:

  • Fish sauce can be found in the International aisle at your local grocery store.
  • Instead of mincing all that garlic, ginger and lemongrass, why not try Gourmet Garden? 
  • To julienne is to create what resemble little matchsticks.  Do this by halving the cucumber lengthwise, then again crosswise and slice into 1/4″ thin strips.
  • Cut a ‘v’ in the leaf to remove the hard white part, or rib, as it can cause the leaves to break while rolling.

Vietnamese Pork Lettuce Wraps

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Vietnamese Pork Lettuce Wraps

Casual, flavorful and low in carbohydrates, these Vietnamese Pork Lettuce Wraps are a perfect and low-fuss way to feed a group.  By keeping all the ingredients separate for people to assemble themselves, the dish becomes an interactive meal personalized to each guests individual tastes.  Pork serves as the foundation to the dish, while pickled veggies and fresh herbs bring depth to each bite.  Finishing it all off is a sweet drizzle of Hoisin sauce, crushed peanuts and finely chopped jalapenos for heat.

 

Ingredients:

 

Pickled Carrots and Onions:

  • 2 whole carrots
  • 1/2 white onion
  • 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tbs white vinegar
  • 2 tbs Splenda

 

Wrap Ingredients:

  • 1 lbs ground lean pork
  • 1 Jalapeno chili
  • 1 clove minced garlic
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 english seedless cucumber
  • 1/2 cup fresh chopped mint
  • 1/2 cup fresh chopped basil
  • 1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
  • 3 chopped fresh scallions
  • 1 lime, juiced and zested
  • 1 1/2 tbs soy sauce
  • 1 tbs mirin
  • 1/2 tsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbs fresh minced ginger
  • 1 tbs lemongrass paste
  • canola oil
  • 2 heads of bibb lettuce
  • 1/4 cup chopped peanuts
  • Hoisin sauce
  • 1 lime for garnishing

 

Directions:

Pickle the carrots and onions:

  1. Peel the carrots normally and discard the exterior, then use the peeler to shave down the carrots into thin strips.
  2. Cut the onion in half, then half again and slice into strips.
  3. Add the sliced onion and carrot strips to a non-metalic bowl, stir in the white vinegar, rice wine vinegar and splenda.
  4. Stir to combine and set aside for at least 1/2 hour.

Prepare and cook the ingredients for the wraps:

  1. Quarter and chop the english seedless cucumber, add to a serving dish and set aside.
  2. Half the red bell pepper discarding the seeds and chop the remainder.  Add to a serving dish and set aside.
  3. Roughly chop the mint, basil, cilantro, and scallions and place in individual serving dishes.  You should have enough to loosely fill a 1/2 cup measure.
  4. If you don’t have chopped peanuts, measure out about 1/4 cup of cocktail peanuts, add to a sandwich bag and bash them with the back of a pot.  Set aside for garnishing.
  5. Slice open the jalapeno pepper and discard half the seeds and ribs.  Finely chop the remainder and set aside in a serving dish.
  6. Start a pan over medium high heat.  Add about a tablespoon of canola oil and the minced garlic. Allow to come to full heat, but keep an eye on the garlic so it doesn’t brown.
  7. Add the ground pork, season with salt and pepper and allow to cook for about a minute while breaking up the meat.
  8. Add in the ground ginger, minced lemongrass, soy sauce, mirin and fish sauce.  Toss well to coat and continue to cook until all the pork is browned.
  9. Using a slotted spoon, move the cooked ground pork to a serving dish leaving the fat behind in the pan.
  10. Assemble your wraps using a leaf of bibb lettuce, a spoonful of pork, bell pepper, cucumber, fresh herbs, scallions, hoisin sauce, peanuts and jalapenos to taste.

Tips:

  • Most supermarkets now stock pre-minced lemongrass in a tube.  Look for it near the fresh herbs.
  • If splenda isn’t your thing, substitute about 1/4 cup of sugar instead.