Thai-Inspired Turkey Mini-Meatball Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

• 4 T fish sauce
• 4 T rice vinegar
• 2 tsp. Asian sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1 tsp. finely minced garlic
• 1 T grated fresh ginger root
• 1 T Asian sesame oil
• 2 tsp. rice vinegar
• 1 tsp. soy sauce
• 2 tsp. + 1 tsp. peanut oil or grapeseed oil, for frying meatballs
• 1 small cucumber, cut in thin slices, then sliced into matchstick pieces
• 3/4 cup mint leaves
• 8 lettuce leaves

Directions

1. Stir the fish sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes together first, then set the dressing aside so the flavors can mingle while you work on the meatballs.
2. Mince the garlic and grate the fresh ginger root, then combine them with the sesame oil, rice vinegar, and soy sauce.
3. Place the ground turkey in a bowl and fold in the seasoning mixture with a large spoon until everything is evenly combined.
4. The turkey mixture will be quite loose. If time is on your side, chill it for 20-30 minutes before shaping the meatballs, or shape the mixture into small patties instead.
5. Warm 2 tsp. peanut or grapeseed oil in a large, sturdy frying pan. Use a tablespoon-sized measuring cup to portion the turkey into meatballs, or small patties, and add each one to the hot pan as you shape it.
6. Cook in 2 batches so the pan has enough room, letting each batch cook until browned on the outside and cooked all the way through, about 5-7 minutes. Add the remaining tsp. of oil when you start the second batch.
7. As the meatballs cook, rinse and dry the mint leaves, or chop the cilantro, and slice the cucumber thinly before cutting it into matchsticks. If you would rather keep it simple, chopping the cucumber works too.
8. Rinse and dry the lettuce leaves.
9. Once the meatballs are cooked, build the lettuce wraps by nestling 2-3 meatballs into each lettuce leaf, spooning on the sauce, and finishing with cucumber and mint or cilantro.
10. For a dinner party, set out the components and let everyone assemble their own wraps.