Thai Beef/Ground Turkey Lettuce Wraps

 

Thai Beef/Ground Turkey Lettuce Wraps

-I use ground turkey... You can choose whatever protein you and your family like! 

https://fountainavenuekitchen.com/thai-beef-lettuce-wraps/

Ingredients 

• 1 pound ground beef
• 8 ounce button or baby bella (cremini) mushrooms
• 1/2 a large onion (red or yellow)
• Olive oil for pan (about 2 teaspoons)
• 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce*
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• Romaine, butter, or leaf lettuce leaves, washed and dried
• Optional for serving: julienned carrots, cucumber, red peppers and/or sliced scallions; chopped peanuts; cilantro; sriracha sauce or dipping sauce (recipe follows)
• Optional Dipping (or Drizzling) Sauce
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce*
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce**
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Instructions 

1. In a small bowl, mix together the Thai red curry paste, soy sauce, fish sauce, and garlic powder. Set aside. If using, mix together the dipping sauce ingredients in a separate small bowl and set it aside, too. Both sauces may be prepared 2-3 days in advance, covered and refrigerated.
2. Finely chop the mushrooms and the onion. (To make quick work of this, you can pulse the veggies with a food processor if desired. Just make sure to stop at a fine chop…you don’t want to puree them.)
3. In a large sauté pan coated with olive oil, cook the mushrooms and onion over medium to medium-high heat, stirring regularly, until the mushrooms release all their liquid and are nicely browned, about 8-10 minutes. Add the ground beef, and continue to cook until the meat is browned, breaking it up as it cooks. When the meat is about halfway cooked, stir in the curry paste mixture (not the dipping sauce if you mixed that up, too), stirring to evenly coat the meat.
4. To serve: scoop some of the meat mixture on top of individual lettuce leaves. Top with the julienned vegetables and other toppings of choice. Roll the lettuce around the filling (sort of like a burrito) and enjoy!

Notes 

• *For a soy-free option to soy sauce, coconut aminos work well. The taste is not a spot-on replica but quite similar. I used this in place of soy sauce for someone with a soy allergy no one noticed the difference in this dish. It’s a lower-sodium, gluten-free option as well.
• **For the dipping sauce, my original recipe called for chili paste instead of sriracha sauce. Since this is a condiment I rarely use–and I figured it might be one that others would have to buy just for this recipe–I tried several substitutes. Sriracha sauce is my favorite; the Thai red curry paste used in the meat mixture is delicious, too, for those who prefer no spiciness. All of these items can be found in the Asian section of most large grocery stores.