Brother’s memory inspires this twist on a lettuce wrap

I tried my first lettuce wrap at lunch at my brother’s home 10 years ago. It was both delicious and difficult to eat. Tom was a superb chef, and the Asian-flavored ground chicken filling was an amazing amalgam of layered flavors. The issue: I had to cut it and eat it on the plate since the filling was so hot and the leaf lettuce wrap was so thin the heat went right through. Ouch.

Tom passed away two years ago this month, and that lettuce wrap was a warm memory of times past. I had never made an Asian lettuce wrap before, but since Tom was on my mind and Thanksgiving was around the corner, I thought about attempting it with ground turkey.

A quick internet search located a few short of a gazillion lettuce wrap recipes, many indicating they were P.F. Chang “copycats.” I went with a recipe from what turned out to be a reliable source: delish.com.

I wanted to make my lettuce wraps using as many organic ingredients as possible, which would make them different from P.F. Chang’s or Delish’s.

I already had a pound of ground organic 93% lean ground turkey in my freezer, making my start easy.

The only thing I had different from Delish’s recipe besides ground turkey was no fresh ginger. My perfect ginger go-to is a bottle of refrigerated organic ginger juice. Since I prepare Asian-style meals almost once a week, the remaining ingredients, such as hoisin sauce, tamari (a no-wheat soy sauce) and water chestnuts, live in my pantry or fridge.

As with many Asian stir-fry recipes, more time was spent preparing everything than cooking.

Delish suggested using a large skillet; I went with my trusty 40-year-old steel wok. They used olive oil (a seemingly odd choice for an Asian stir-fry), but I used a classic — peanut oil.

Delish included Sriracha sauce in their version. Since some folks (Nan has her hand up) do not like hot sauces, I omitted it and served it on the side.

This could easily be served over rice. However, to maintain the dish’s integrity, I shredded some Romaine lettuce and served it with my stir-fry instead of wrapping it.

One surprise was how beautifully the sauce thickened at the end without any cornstarch to help it along.

My version was not quite as good as the one I remembered my brother making, but it was still really good.

Whether you have a wok or a skillet, try this dish served over shredded lettuce and see what you think.

• Don Mauer welcomes questions, comments and recipe makeover requests. Write to him at 1leanwizard@gmail.com.

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A Twist on Lettuce Wraps

¼ cup hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce

2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger or 1 teaspoon ginger juice

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon peanut oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 pound 93% lean organic ground turkey

½ cup canned water chestnuts, drained and sliced

2 green onions, washed, root trimmed and thinly sliced

Ground black pepper

6 cups shredded Romaine lettuce leaves, for serving

In a small bowl, whisk hoisin sauce, tamari soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger juice (or grated ginger) and sesame oil together until combined. Set aside.

Place a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat and add the peanut oil. When the oil is hot, add onions and cook until translucent, about 5-6 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add ground turkey and cook until it just loses its pink color, breaking up the ground meat with a spatula’s edge.

Pour in sauce and cook, stirring until the sauce reduces slightly, and the turkey is cooked completely, about 2 minutes. Move the skillet or wok off the heat and stir in water chestnuts and green onions. Season with pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with the lettuce on a dinner plate for passing. Serves four.

Suggestions: This may be served over cooked white or brown rice. Sriracha sauce can be served on the side. Ground chicken, beef or pork may be substituted for ground turkey. All the ingredients I used were organic. It is not necessary, though; go with what you have.

Nutrition values per serving: 239 calories (37% from fat), 9.4 g fat (1.3 g saturated fat), 11.5 g carbohydrates (9 net carbs), 4 g sugars, 2.5 g fiber, 24.8 g protein, 75 mg cholesterol, 649 mg sodium.

— Don Mauer