These lettuce cups filled with spicy ground pork take inspiration from Larb. Found in several Southeast Asian countries, Larb usually features seasoned ground meat served with sticky rice or lettuce cups, topped with fresh vegetables and herbs. Toasted rice powder is typically mixed into the seasoning for some crunch and to help thicken the dressing. Katie opts for ground peanuts instead to achieve a similar texture and nutty flavor. These can also be made with ground chicken, duck, turkey, or crumbled tofu in place of the ground pork. Fresh and flavorful, these lettuce cups are super easy to make at home any night of the week.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 50 min |
| Active: | 45 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (from about 1/2-inch piece)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 medium carrot, grated or julienned
- 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- One 1 1/2-inch piece ginger, peeled and finely grated (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 head Bibb, butter or iceberg lettuce, separated into leaves
- Fresh cilantro leaves, for serving
- Fresh mint leaves, for serving
- 1/2 cup roasted salted peanuts, chopped
- Sriracha, for serving
Instructions
- For the scallion and carrot relish: Toss the soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, carrots, scallions and lime juice in a medium bowl. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- For the pork: Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the vegetable oil, and once hot, the pork. Cook the pork, breaking it up with the back of your spoon until it browns and is no longer pink, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the red pepper flakes, salt, garlic, ginger and shallots. Cook until they are aromatic and incorporated, another minute. Add the hoisin and stir to combine, then add the soy sauce. Cook until the pork is sticky and glazed, about 3 minutes. Transfer the pork to a serving bowl.
- Serve the pork with the lettuce leaves, some scallion and carrot relish, cilantro leaves, mint leaves, peanuts and sriracha, letting everyone build their own wraps with all the fixings.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 353 |
| Total Fat | 26 g |
| Saturated Fat | 7 g |
| Carbohydrates | 14 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 6 g |
| Protein | 19 g |
| Cholesterol | 55 mg |
| Sodium | 812 mg |
Reviews
Pretty yum! Super easy and cheap to make. The whole family loved!
I have to agree with all of the other reviews. So easy and so delicious! The red pepper flakes gave it the perfect amount of heat, the soy the perfect amount of saltiness and the hoisin the perfect amount of sweetness. The relish was perfect!! Highly recommend this recipe!!!!
Followed recipe exactly for the first time except for adding some fresh cucumber along with the carrot relish. Definitely making this again!
Followed this recipe exactly as written. We really liked this. For the ground pork, I just put boneless chops in a food processor. So full of flavor.
There are a lot of overwrought lettuce wrap recipes out there…this isn’t one of them. Simple and so delicious.
Delicious, and so easy to put together. We really enjoyed it.
So good ! I used this recipe and added a few things: lemon grass, red jalapeño, more garlic and I realized I was out of hoisin so I replaced using bbq sauce and 5 spice powder, worked out great.
Very tasty and very easy!
This was fantastic! It will definitely be added to my favorites!
These had the perfect level of spice. Subbed cashews for peanuts because that’s what we had on hand but just lovely. These are definitely going into our rotation, especially for hot summer days where we want something light, fresh, and not requiring the oven!