Vietnamese Pork Lettuce Cups
Experience the vibrant flavors of Vietnam with these delicious and colorful pork lettuce cups. Inspired by traditional Vietnamese street food, this dish is a perfect blend of savory, sweet, and fresh ingredients, wrapped in crisp lettuce leaves that provide a delightful contrast in textures.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil - such as canola or sunflower
1 pound ground pork - preferably free-range
2 cloves garlic - minced
1 tablespoon fish sauce - high quality
1 tablespoon soy sauce - low sodium
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 piece lime - juice and zest- 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce - or to taste
6 leaves butter lettuce - large leaves, such as Bibb or butter
¼ cup carrot - finely grated
¼ cup cucumber - thinly sliced
¼ cup mint - fresh leaves
¼ cup cilantro - fresh leaves
Instructions
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground pork and cook, breaking it up with a spatula, until deeply browned and cooked through, about 6-8 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic to the pork, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Stir in the fish sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, lime zest, and lime juice. Mix well and let simmer for another 2-3 minutes. Add chili garlic sauce to taste. Adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Prepare the lettuce cups by rinsing the leaves under cold water and patting them dry with a paper towel. Arrange the lettuce leaves on a platter.
- Spoon the pork mixture into the center of each lettuce leaf. Top with grated carrot, cucumber slices, mint leaves, and cilantro leaves.
- Serve immediately, encouraging diners to fold the leaves into cups and enjoy the explosion of flavors and textures.
Notes
For a vegetarian option, substitute pork with crumbled tofu or mushrooms.
Nutrition
Calories: 359kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 21gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 82mgSodium: 739mgPotassium: 478mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 2287IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 44mgIron: 2mg
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