This adapted recipe is now gluten, dairy, and sugar free. It tastes amazing! It’s good wrapped in lettuce and topped with fancy bits OR even left-over, cold, and in a mason jar, lettuce-less. It has LOTS of flavor, excellent aroma, and just the tiniest touch of heat.

Prep Time: 20-40 minutes (depending on your knife skills!)

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 min+

Yield: SERVES 5-6(starter)/4-5(main)

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. coconut oil for stir frying
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 thumb-size piece galangal OR ginger, grated or minced
• 1 red chili, minced, OR 1/4 to 1/3 tsp. chili flakes OR powder
• 2 shallots, sliced finely
• 1 lbs ground chicken or pork (pasture raised if you can)
• 2 carrots, grated or cut into thin strips
• 3-4 cups or about 1/2 a head of cabbage shredded/thin sliced
• 3 spring onions OR green onions sliced
• 2 Tbsp. lime juice OR juice from 1 whole lime
• 3-4 Tbsp. gluten free (GF) tamari/soy sauce
• 1+1/2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. sea salt (or more to taste)
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper (or more to make spicier)

OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS:

• 5-6 mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 head fresh butter lettuce (any large leaf lettuce will do)
• 1 egg
• approx. 2 cups bean sprouts
• 1+1/2 Tbsp. fish sauce

OPTIONAL TOPPINGS:

• 1/3 cup fresh basil OR mint, chopped if leaves are large
• 1/3 cup fresh dry roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
• fresh bean sprouts

Preparation:

1. If using lettuce: Cut off the stem part of the lettuce so it’s easier to separate the leaves. Wash leaves well and lay them out to dry or pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.
2. Cook ground meat in pan. Stir to separate into bits. Cook until pink is gone. Do not drain off oil. Turn off heat.
3. Heat coconut oil in a wok or large frying pan over a little higher than medium heat. (i sometimes use a big soup pot) Add garlic, galangal (or ginger), chili, and shallots. Stir-fry one minute, or until fragrant. Stir-frying tip: add a little water or rice wine vinegar if the wok/pan gets too dry instead of more oil.
4. Add rice wine vinegar. This should steam up a little.
5. Add cooked meat, carrot, shiitake mushrooms, cabbage, and spring onions. As you stir-fry, add the lime juice, soy sauce, fish sauce. Stir-fry about 3 minutes.
6. EGG OPTION: Push ingredients to the side of the wok or pan, and crack in the egg. Stir-fry quickly to break the yolk. Mix in with the other ingredients.
7. Add the bean sprouts and stir-fry briefly to mix (avoid over-looking or it will go limp). Remove from heat and do a taste test for salt, adding more fish sauce or GF soy sauce if not salty enough.
8. Serve hot with forks OR….
9. Now place the lettuce, sir-fried filling, and the toppings on your table in separate bowls/plates, allowing family or guests to make their own wraps.
10. To assemble, take a whole washed lettuce leaf and place 1-2 heaping tablespoons of filling in the center. Top with a sprinkling of fresh basil and peanuts plus fresh bean sprouts if desired. Then wrap up and eat! (For those who like it extra spicy, fresh-cut chili can be added as another topping.) ENJOY!

Adapted from http://thaifood.about.com/od/quickeasythairecipes/r/lettucewraps.htm