Asian Lettuce Cups with Spicy Ground Turkey Filling

Ingredients

• 1 T peanut oil or vegetable oil
• 3 T minced red onion or shallots
• 2 T minced garlic
• 2 T grated ginger root
• 1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey
• 4 T soy sauce
• 1 T Chile Garlic Sauce
• 1 tsp. fish sauce
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/3 cup chopped peanuts
• 1 large head or 2 small heads lettuce

Directions

1. Mince the onion and keep it nearby. Peel the ginger, then shred it on the large holes of a cheese grater. If you’re using fresh garlic, chop that now as well.
2. Warm the oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Stir in the onion and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger, and continue cooking for about 1 minute more.
3. Add the ground turkey to the pan, along with a little extra oil if the pan needs it. Use a turner to break the meat into pieces and spread it across the pan.
4. Pour in the soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, and fish sauce. Cook until the turkey has browned, the meat breaks into crumbles, and the sauce has cooked down a bit, about 5 minutes.
5. As the turkey cooks, rinse and chop the cilantro so you have 1 cup. Cut the core end from the lettuce, pull the leaves apart, then wash and dry them in a salad spinner, or rinse them under running water and pat them dry with paper towels.
6. Chop the peanuts and place them in a small bowl for the table.
7. When the turkey mixture is ready, stir in the chopped cilantro and cook for 1-2 minutes more.
8. Put the filling in one bowl and the lettuce leaves in another, with the chopped peanuts in a separate small bowl. To eat, you spoon some turkey into a lettuce leaf, sprinkle on peanuts, and use the lettuce as the cup. You can fold it over into a taco shape, or wrap the leaf around the filling.