Recipe: Thai Larb Chicken Lettuce Cups (using ground chicken breast)

THAI LARB CHICKEN LETTUCE CUPS

"Larb is an Asian salad that's considered the national dish of Laos. It features a sour and spicy warm stir-fried meat on top of cold, crisp lettuce. The dressing is made of fish sauce, spicy fresh chiles, and fresh lime juice. Fresh mint leaves provide a refreshing finish. On the list of my favorite sounds would be the crisp snap crunch of super-cold lettuce as you peel off the layers, one by one."



1 1/2 tablespoons cooking oil, divided use
1/2 pound ground chicken breast
2 shallots, diced
1/4 red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, very finely minced
Minced fresh chiles, Jalapeno or Fresno (amount up to you)
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1/2 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
FOR SERVING:
1 head iceberg lettuce, leaves separated into "cups"*
1 handful of cilantro and/or mint, cut into chiffonade

Heat a wok or large saute pan over high heat. When hot, swirl in 1 tablespoon of the oil and add the chicken. Use your spatula to break up the meat and spread out over the surface of the pan. Cook until browned, about 3 minutes.

Push the ground chicken to one side of the pan and swirl in the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil. To the oil, add the shallots, red onion, garlic, and fresh chiles and saut the aromatics until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the fish sauce, lime juice, and soy sauce.

Serve with lettuce cups and herbs.

*Use iceberg, Boston bibb, or any kind of lettuce that has cup-shaped leaves for this recipes. Keep the lettuce refrigerated until ready to eat.

Makes 4 servings
Source: Steamy Kitchen's Healthy Asian Recipes