Pork Lettuce Wraps

Few dishes capture that magic of simple Asian cooking like these pork lettuce wraps. They’re light but satisfying, healthy yet delicious and bursting with the salty-sweet-savour-spicy flavours that make them so irresistible. There are many versions of these pork lettuce wraps but this recipe will get you an amazing, quick and easy meal that is mouthwateringly tasty.

About these pork lettuce wraps?

From China to Vietnam, Indonesia to Thailand, many popular dishes involve wrapping grilled meats in vegetables, often with herbs, noodles, and dipping sauce. This concept is rooted in the idea of balance, between hot and cool, fresh and rich, crunchy and tender.

Lettuce wraps are a modern, Western-friendly take on traditional spring rolls. Instead of pastry or rice paper, you use crisp lettuce leaves such as baby gem, butter lettuce or romain to wrap around flavourful grilled pork and a mix of toppings. They're easier to prepare than spring rolls and endlessly customizable.

Ingredients

To make things easy on yourself, get all of your ingredients together and prepared before you start cooking. Be sure to check out my ideas to tailor them to taste in the variations below. You might also like to try these pork lettuce wraps topped with popular Vietnamese condiments such as carrot and daikon pickle or nuoc cham. I love them so I do often.

• Minced (ground) pork
• Hoisin sauce 
• Seasme oil 
• Onion
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Water chestnuts 
• Gochujang
• Soy sauce 
• Dark rice wine vinegar 
• Lettuce 

See recipe card for quantities.

Step by step photographs

Check out the following step by step photographs to see just how easy you can whip up amazing pork lettuce wraps!

1. Step 1: Heat the sesame oil in a large pan or wok over a medium-high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer from the heat, add the ground pork.

2. Step 2: Allow the pork to cook for around 2-3 minutes then add the diced onion. Let that cook for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly and breaking the larger lumps of meat down until browned.

Variations

This pork lettuce wrap recipe calls for a mix of popular Asian ingredients. It's a bit of a fusion recipe. There are of course many variations. You might like to try one or more of the following:

• Vietnamese - Add two tablespoon of finely chopped lemongrass. Leave out the gochujang and add a couple tablespoons of fish sauce. Serve with nuoc cham and/or carrot and daikon pickle.
• Thai - Add a tablespoon Thai red or green chilli paste to the meat. Leave out the gochujang and add a couple tablespoons of fish sauce to the meat mixture. Substitute the juice of one to two limes for the vinegar. Serve with shriracha sauce.
• Malaysian - Add a tablesoon of Ssamjang, a Korean soy bean paste. You can also fry small pieces of pork, chicken and/or beef rather than using minced (ground) meat.

Equipment

This is a simple recipe for pork lettuce wraps just as it should be. All you need is a good pan or pot and a large spoon or spatula for cooking. A good sharp chefs knife will also come in handy.

Storage

Store the lettuce and cooked meat separately. You can store the meat in an air-tight container for 3 to 4 days. Then just reheat in your microwave or in a pan over a medium heat until hot.

You can also freeze the cooked meat in an air-tight container or freezer bag for up to three months. It freezes well.