Ground Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Explosions of tastes make this a wonderful twist on our old favorite appetizer. Actually, we make a meal out of this! Enjoy.

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• Meat Filling

• 1 1⁄4 lbs ground turkey
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons  minced garlic
• 2  serrano peppers, finely chopped
• 2  tablespoons fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 3  tablespoons  lemongrass paste or 3  tablespoons  finely chopped fresh lemongrass
• 6  stalks green onions, chopped
• 1  cup  loosely chopped mushroom
• 1⁄4 cup  loosely chopped water chestnut
• 2  tablespoons fish sauce
• 3  tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1  teaspoon pepper
• 1⁄8 cup  peanut oil

• Sauce

• 2  tablespoons  grated carrots
• 1⁄4 cup fish sauce
• 1  teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 3  limes, juice of
• 1  tablespoon  minced garlic
• 3  tablespoons sugar

• To Serve

• 1  head iceberg lettuce or 2  heads boston lettuce leaves, separated into cups
• 1⁄4 cup fresh basil, coarsely chopped
• 1⁄4 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
• 1⁄4 cup fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground turkey, lemon grass paste, fish sauce and salt/pepper until thoroughly mixed and let sit for 10 minutes.
2. In a large saucepan or wok, heat peanut oil and stir fry the green onions, serrano peppers, ginger, mushrooms, water chestnuts, and garlic until soft (about 4 mins). Now add the ground turkey and hoisin sauce then cook until done (turkey is brown).
3. Chop the fresh herbs as above and place each in an individual serving container (small bowl or ramekin).
4. To make the sauce: In a small mixing bowl, soak the crushed red pepper in lime juice for several minutes Add the garlic, sugar, and fish sauce and stir to dissolve the sugar. Transfer to a serving container and add the grated carrots and serve at room temperature Refrigerated, the sauce will keep in a tightly covered container for up to 5 days.
5. To Serve: Arrange lettuce on a large platter surrounded by the containers of chopped herbs, etc. and the sauce. To make a wrap take a lettuce leaf in hand, scoop a large tablespoon of meat on to lettuce leaf, then add any herbs that you like. Add a teaspoon of sauce onto the mixture on the leaf and then roll and eat. Yum!