The past few weeks I was on a Greek food kick with my Dill Roasted Carrots with Tzatziki Sauce and Loaded Greek Nachos. It was AWESOME. But I think I’ve moved on to Thai food.
Except…I haven’t been cooking it at home. Oops. I’ve been out to Thai restaurants 2 times in the past 4 days and I’m not sorry about it at all.
It’s just so stinking good, you guys. Plus, Thai is one of the cuisines that it’s suuuper easy for me to eat out gluten and dairy-free and not be worried about it.
And how can you say no to Pad Thai? Red Curry? Pineapple fried rice? Or this thing called a Floating Noodle Bowl I had the other night. I was sick and my nose all stuffed up and boy, let me tell you I could still taste the spices in that thing. Was I slightly crying because the spices were so hot slash I’m kind of a wuss when it comes to really spicy food? Maybe. Were my lips burning for about 30 minutes afterwards? Definitely.
But it was soooo good.
The only bad thing was my friend (AHEM) forgot our leftovers in my car overnight…so we had none left the next day AND my car smelled like thai food.
Okay, maybe that part wasn’t so bad.
But so I thought, why not make some thai-inspired food at home so I’m not totally fiending for takeout all the time? How about Larb Gai, those delicious lettuce wraps with ground chicken that are oh-so-delicious but oh-so-messy and you definitely wouldn’t want to eat on a first date?…or second date? Maybe the third one if I really like you.
Yeah, let’s go with those. And let me tell you, I really hit the jackpot with this flavor combo.
Especially when you put a fried egg on top.
Also, I just said that in a Finding Nemo voice. “See this tentacle? It’s actually shorter than all my other tentacles. But you can’t really tell. Especially when I swing them like this.”
It’s fine guys, I’m 25. And I’ll never grow up stop quoting disney/pixar movies. You’re welcome.
Sidenote: why did I put chopsticks in this picture? There’s no way in hell you could possibly eat these as lettuce wraps with chopsticks. And if you’re intimidated by lemongrass like me, I bought this awesome jarred Roland brand , which does the job just fine and packs the flavor-punch i want just right.
- juice and zest of one lime, separated
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce
- 2 Tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 2 tsp sriracha*
- 2 Tbsp sliced lemongrass
- 1 lb ground turkey (or chicken)
- 1 tsp onion powder
- sea salt and pepper, to taste*
- 1 head butter lettuce
- pickled onions (substitute: chopped scallions)
- additional lime wedges, to squeeze over the wraps
- sriracha, for serving
- optional: fried egg*
- optional: 1-2 Tbsp fresh chopped basil or mint
- Make the sauce for the filling: combine the lime juice, fish sauce, and coconut aminos in a small bowl, and set aside.
- In a large skillet, melt the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Stir in the lime zest, sriracha and sliced lemongrass, give it a quick stir, and then add the ground turkey and onion powder. Use a wooden spoon to crumble it up into smaller pieces. Cook for about 6-8 minutes, until it is evenly browned and cooked through.
- Stir in the lime juice and coconut aminos mixture and allow to warm for about 1 minute, then remove the pan from the heat.
- Taste, and season with a small pinch of salt and pepper if you like.
- Assemble your lettuce wraps: start with a leaf of butter lettuce, spoon in some of the meat mixture, then top with pickled onions/scallions, a lime wedge, and some chopped basil or mint. You definitely would not go wrong by popping a fried egg on top here.
- Now, the tricky part - eating. The only method to this madness is to pick it up as daintily as possible and shove as much as you can in your face so you get all the flavors together. Told you it wasn’t first date material.
- Serve with cauliflower rice.
Inspired by Beef Larb in Diane Sanfilippo’s 21-Day Sugar Detox Cookbook
Hi Dana, I love your wraps, they look amazing!
Thanks so much Maria! 🙂