Grilled Apricot Lettuce Wraps With Thai Herbs Recipes

THAI LETTUCE WRAPS

Steps:

• For the chicken and marinade: Mix the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, grated ginger, Sriracha, rice wine vinegar and grated garlic in a large bowl or resealable plastic bag. Add the chicken strips and marinate, refrigerated, for 2 hours.
• Heat a grill pan over high heat.
• Remove the chicken strips from the marinade and grill until cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with the peanuts and cilantro.
• For the lettuce and fillings: Set out the lettuce, bean sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cucumbers and rice noodles on the serving platter.
• To assemble, use the butter lettuce leaves to contain the chicken and fillings. Add some chili and hoisin sauce, then roll them up and eat!

GRILLED PORK LETTUCE WRAPS

Steps:

• Prepare the pork: Mash the garlic into a paste with the flat side of a knife. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the lemongrass, shallots, brown sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, vegetable oil and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Add the pork and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.
• Make the sauce: Whisk the lime juice, fish sauce, granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup water in a small bowl. Stir in the carrot, chile sauce and garlic.
• Preheat a grill to high. Brush the grill with vegetable oil. Remove the pork from the marinade and grill until well marked, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes, then cut into strips. Arrange the pork and lettuce on a platter; set out the herbs, cucumber, jalapeno and fried shallots for fixings. Assemble the lettuce wraps and serve with the carrot sauce and shrimp chips.

GRILLED APRICOT LETTUCE WRAPS WITH THAI HERBS

Steps:

• Heat a heavy-duty (preferably cast-iron) grill pan over medium-high. Combine the honey, white balsamic vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of warm tap water in a small mixing bowl. Slice the apricots in half, and remove and discard the pits. Dip the apricot halves in the honey-vinegar glaze, then place cut side down on the hot grill pan. Brush the outside of the apricots with a little extra glaze.
• Meanwhile, coarsely chop the water chestnuts, and add them to a medium mixing bowl. When the apricots begin to soften and caramelize, after about 4-6 minutes, remove them from the pan and chill in the refrigerator while you finish chopping the other ingredients.
• Slice the mint, basil, and cilantro. Add to the mixing bowl. Slice the red Thai chili, and add to the bowl. Remove the apricots from the refrigerator, coarsely chop, and add to the mixing bowl. Squeeze half of a lime into the bowl. Season with a pinch of sea salt and mix gently to combine.
• Remove the tougher outer leaves of the lettuce, and pull at least 4 to 6 of the more tender inner leaves to use as cups. Fill each one with a generous ¼ cup of the apricot-herb mixture.
• In a blender, combine almond butter, tamari, tamarind paste, ginger, garlic, dates, and a few tablespoons of water. Drizzle sauce over the lettuce cups or serve as a dressing on the side. Garnish with chopped nuts.

KOREAN GRILLED BEEF LETTUCE WRAPS

Steps:

• Wrap the steak in plastic and place it in the freezer while you put together the marinade. In a medium bowl, combine the soy sauce, sugar, beer, garlic, scallions, pepper, sesame oil, honey and Asian pear. Take the steak out of the freezer and slice it across the grain into 1/4-inch-thick strips. Stir the steak into the marinade and let it sit for 30 minutes, while you build a very hot fire or preheat a gas grill to its highest setting.
• When the grill is very hot, sear the steak until nicely caramelized, 2 or 3 minutes on each side. Work in batches to avoid crowding the meat. Serve the beef with condiments and make ssam (Korean-style wraps) by folding a piece of steak or two, some rice, vegetables and herbs inside a lettuce leaf.

ASIAN GRILLED PORK TENDERLOIN LETTUCE WRAPS

Steps:

• To prepare pork, combine first six ingredients and mix well; add pork and marinate for one hour in the refrigerator, turning occasionally. Prepare grill to medium high heat in this time. Remove pork from marinade, and discard marinade. Sprinkle pork with salt.
• Place pork on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Cook to an internal temperature of 155 (about 22 minutes), turning occasionally. Remove from heat, and let stand 10 minutes. Cut into 1/2 inch slices, and then slice into thin strips; keep warm.
• To prepare salad, combine carrot and next six ingredients (through jalapeno) in medium bowl, toss well.
• Place 1-1/2 oz of pork on each 8 lettuce leaves; top each evenly with 1/4 c salad mixture and 2 tbsp of bean sprouts.