Pork Lettuce Wraps

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These little puppies are like the trail mix of the dinner world. You get a little bit of everything-- salty, tangy, crunchy, sweet and spicy--and you can eat it with your hands! These wraps have all those classic Asian flavors as well. Asian food is one of the best cultural cuisines in my opinion, Vietnamese and Thai food are tied for my favorite of all time. Anyways..on to the recipe if you'd like to make them as well. I would make them if I were you..they are good eats, and great left overs!

The laundry list of things on the cooklight light recipe is a bit daunting, but I had 99% of the ingredients in my pantry or fridge. I also left out some things..like powdered ginger for fresh (forgot to buy it at the store). I also omitted the peanuts because I felt like I already had lots of toppings with the cilantro, bean sprouts, and cucumbers. But whatever you have and enjoy eating will work.

I'd like to comment on the lettuce. The recipe calls for bibb lettuce and I thought, "oh, i'll just get regular old romaine or red-leaf" and at the last minute standing in the produce aisle, I paid the extra dollar and bought the real bibb lettuce. What a difference! I really like it and it made the wraps much more crunchier and easier to fold. So yes, there is a difference to types of lettuce..I can hear some people laughing already!
So, longest pre-recipe post ever..here's what you do:

1. Get your pork

Which pork you ask? Tenderloin or thin boneless chops will do, cut into medallions and either skewer or leave alone, depending on your preference. I used thin boneless chops, trimmed of fat and cut in half, for about 14 palm sized pieces.

2. Marinade it!

In a small blender/food processor chop:
2-3 clove garlic
1/2 inch fresh ginger
2 Tbs white sugar
black pepper
4 inch piece lemon grass (I used 1 pinch penzy's dried lemon grass)

Once this looks like a paste, add 2 Tbs soy sauce, 1 Tbs fish sauce, 1 Tbs olive or canola oil.
Add the liquid to a plastic zip top and add your meat, turning occasionally, let marinade in the fridge for an hour or two.

3. Pickle your carrots

This step is worth the extra two minutes to do, adds the tangy and sweet flavors.

In a small bowl, grate some carrot about 1/2 cup. Add 2 Tbs sugar and let them hang out for ten minutes. Then add juice from a lemon and about 1/4 cup rice vinegar. You can add minced garlic and sliced chilies here as well, but I didn't. Taste and adjust sugar/vinegar to your liking.

4. Gather your toppings

Wash and pat dry the bibb lettuce and cilantro, basil, and mint (I only used cilantro). No one likes eating dirt. No one.
Chop some cucumbers, I liked them diced, or even fat matchsticks so they fold up nice in the wrap
Put some bean sprouts and lime wedges in a bowl for later as well. If you want peanuts, chop and dry roast them now too.
Lastly, boil some vermicelli or Asian noodles with no fat or seasonings. Cool till your ready to eat. I liked the noodles in the wrap, but if you don't have any, don't sweat it.

5. Assemble!

So, first grill your pork about 3 minutes on each side. Use a really hot grill to get some nice char marks. Don't over do it, they cook fast.
Let the meat rest for 5-10 minutes while you set all the toppings out.
Cut the meat into strips and build your wraps:
lettuce-noodles-pork-carrots and juices they are in-cucumbers-bean sprouts-cilantro-lime wedge squeeze-two tiny drops of Sriracha Chile sauce



Wrap or fold however you can get this creation in your mouth, and Enjoy!!

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