Chinese Lettuce Cups

These popular Chinese restaurant appetizers are a favorite with our family. I make them quiet often for dinner parties and everybody loves them, specially kids. They are quick to make, healthy and people can roll their own lettuce cups.

To make them vegetarian or vegan use crumbled tofu and choose a vegan hoisin or mushroom sauce. They taste just as good, infact better I think. So for your next dinner party or a casual gathering whip this up in no time and enjoy the compliments.

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Chinese style lettuce cups 

INGREDIENTS

Makes about 12-15 lettuce cups with 2 tablespoons filling.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound ground organic chicken breast or turkey 
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 2-3 tablespoons oyster or hoisin sauce, depending on how savory you want it
• 2 tablespoons low sodium tamari or soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha, optional
• 1 (8-ounce) can whole water chestnuts, drained and diced
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2-4 radishes, thinly sliced
• sesame seeds to garnish
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 head Boston butter lettuce

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add ground chicken and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the chicken as it cooks; drain excess fat.
2. Add the garlic, onion, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger, Sriracha and cook until onions have become translucent and soft, about 7-10 minutes.
3. Add the chestnuts and green onions until tender, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
4. To serve, add a few tablespoons of the mixture into the center of a lettuce leaf, top it with a few radishes and sesame seeds and serve taco-style.