One of my favorite Asian restaurants serves delicious lettuce wraps. The crispy lettuce, the warm chicken with the Asian glaze, and the water chestnut crunch makes it a delicious meal.
I don’t frequent the restaurant often, since it’s nearly an hour away. From time to time, I’ve been known to make a doctor’s appointment or go to the mall near this restaurant just go grab lunch there.
AN EXERCISE IN INSPIRATION
One day I was watching Rachel Ray’s cooking show while on the elliptical machine at the gym and there she was making lettuce wraps! Little did I know, that these lettuce wraps are not that difficult to make at home! Why didn’t I try it before? Rachel made it seem like anyone could make it at home…and she was right.
For some reason, I’ve always been intimidated by cooking Asian food at home. Maybe it’s the exotic sounding sauces or the thought of a fancy ingredient only found in some obscure market. Once I finally decided to give Asian food a chance, I realized that I could find the ingredients in my regular grocery store!
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THOUGHTS ON ASIAN COOKING
Don’t be intimidated by ingredients like ginger, garlic and scallions—they are ingredients that when mixed together produce a very fragrant and tasty meal.
I try to have all the vegetables ready (washed, peeled and chopped where applicable) to further cut down in cooking time. I sometimes use leftover white or brown rice from another meal to further speed up the dinner-making process.
You also don’t need special equipment when cooking Asian foods. I was given a wok nearly ten years ago and I am happy to finally be putting it to good use! If you don’t have a wok, you can use any stir-fry pan available. I’ve tried a few different lettuce wrap recipes and hands down they have all been a family favorite!
This recipe can be made in under thirty minutes and either served with rice inside the lettuce wrap (as pictured) or with it on the side.
