Thai Lettuce Wraps with Caramelized Pork

This recipe may look a little intimidating at first with all of the ingredients but I promise it is easy and delicious! This is a fun dinner to make for a group because everyone can make their own wraps and add whatever toppings they want. It may seem like a pain to get all of the different asian sauces and condiments but they end up lasting for a really long time and can be used in a variety of different recipes - think stir frys, pad thai, bibimbap etc. If you are skeptical about gochujang or fish sauce read these articles! I tried to link the brands I use in the ingredients section. I get most of my asian ingredients from Whole Foods because they have a great selection. Lettuce wraps are super versatile and can be used with just about any protein you want - definitely give these a try! 

Ingredients: 

1lb of Ground Pork 

1 head of Butter Lettuce 

½ White Onion

2 tbsp of Minced Ginger

2 tbsp of Minced Garlic 

2 tbsp of Gochujang Sauce (love everything from this brand!)

1 tbsp of Fish Sauce

2 tbsp of Brown Sugar

Toppings:

Carrots

Bean Sprouts

Cilantro 

Lime

Peanuts

Cucumber

Green Onions

Peanut Sauce:

⅓ cup of Peanut Butter

Juice of 1 Lime

1 tbsp of Rice Vinegar

2 tbsp of Soy Sauce

1 tsp of Sesame Oil 

1 tsp of Sriracha or Gochujang 

1 tsp of Minced Ginger

1 tsp of Minced Garlic 

¼-⅓ cup of Water

1. Wash and prep all veggies. Thinly slice cucumber, green onions and carrots (or just buy shredded carrots). Chop cilantro and peanuts. You can get creative here! Finely dice the white onion (and garlic and ginger if you aren’t using minced) for the pork.

2. In a blender or food processor combine the first 8 ingredients for the peanut sauce. Once it is completely blended add a little bit of water at a time and stir until desired consistency. 

3. Heat a large pan over medium to high heat. Add about 2 tbsp of oil, the white onion, garlic, ginger and gochujang. Saute for about 2 minutes until it cooks down and becomes fragrant. Add pork and break up with a spatula or wooden spoon. Cook for about 3 to 5 minutes until the pork is no longer pink. Add brown sugar and fish sauce and stir mixture. Let it sit without stirring for about 2 -3 minutes until it starts to crisp and turn dark brown. Stir and let it sit for a couple minutes until it is crisp but not burnt. Remove from heat and place in a serving bowl. 

4. Assemble wraps! Start with lettuce, then pork and top with your choice of carrots, bean sprouts, cucumber, cilantro, green onions, peanuts and a squeeze of lime juice. Drizzle peanut sauce on top and enjoy!

Here are some of my favorite go to items when I am cooking Asian inspired dishes! I ran out of rice vinegar but usually use this one!