Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Sweet + Salty Sauce

We've been on a real Asian kick this week when it comes to cooking dinner. Sometime in the next few days, I'll post my Garlicky Korean Beef Noodles, which have become a weekly meal for the last 6 months. But today, we're going to talk about chicken lettuce wraps. Lettuce wraps are a must for me whenever we go out to a restaurant, so why not make my own version at home? This recipe is pretty easy when it comes to cooking other dishes on my food blog, although you will do a lot of chopping. But if you have another person helping you, y'all will be done in no time! I started off by making my go-to sweet + salty sauce (that also goes on the Korean Beef Noodles) and all you have to worry about is bring it to a boil, reducing it to a simmer, whisking continuously, and letting it cool. You'll repeat that cooking process 3-4 times until the sauce is smooth and has reduced slightly. After you have done that, just let the sauce cool in the small pot until you are ready to pour it over the chicken. Now, I have a pretty firm belief that everyone likes chicken, but if you are that one person who doesn't, then just trade out the ground chicken for ground pork and ground beef. Now let's talk about all the vegetables. We were recently eating out at one of our favorite thai restaurants and they have the most glorious chicken lettuce wraps. Something a little different that they include are red + green bell peppers. Both my husband and I enjoyed that addition so much, that I had to put some peppers into my chicken-vegetable mixture. It is important though, that you dice up the sweet onions and bell peppers to the same size, so that they will all cook for the same time. Once those vegetables have become slightly softened and somewhat translucent, throw in the minced fresh garlic, diced water chestnuts, minced green onions, fresh basil, minced dried garlic, toasted sesame seeds, toasted sesame oil, and some red pepper flakes. Stir it all together and let it cook for a minute or two. Now, all that is left to do is to pour some of the sauce over the chicken mixture until everything is coated. I would suggest starting with half the sauce and working your way up because you don't want an overwhelmingly large amount drowning your chicken + veggies. The goal here is to add just the right amount of sauce to your liking, that way the chicken lettuce wraps taste light and delicious. All that there is left to do is to assemble them. Get a piece of butter lettuce, spoon in some of the sauced chicken mixture on top, drizzle with a little bit of extra sauce, and garnish with a pinch of minced, dried garlic, red pepper flakes, and toasted crushed peanuts. Voila, you have made yourself a real crowd pleasing recipe! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! 

For the Sweet + Salty Sauce:

1C Light Brown Sugar

½C Soy Sauce

¼C Hoisin Sauce

2T Toasted Sesame Oil + 2T Sriracha

1T Rice Wine Vinegar

1t Freshly Grated Ginger

1t Red Pepper Flakes (less or more to your preferred spiciness)

For the Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps:

Prepared Sweet + Salty Sauce

4T Vegetable Oil (separated)

2lbs Ground Chicken

2 Sweet Onions, Diced

1 Red Bell Pepper + 1 Green Pepper, Diced

1t Salt

8oz Sliced Water Chestnuts, Diced

8 Cloves of Garlic, Minced

2 Bunches of Green Onions, Minced

¼C Fresh Basil, Minced

2T Minced Dried Garlic (plus more for garnishing)

1T Toasted Sesame Seeds (plus more for garnishing)

Red Pepper Flakes (to your preferred spiciness)

1T Toasted Sesame Oil

1-2 Butter Head Lettuce

Toasted, Crushed Peanuts, For Garnishing

Directions:

1. For the Sweet + Salty Sauce: In a small pot, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients until it is well incorporated. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-low heat, making sure to continuously whisk. Reduce to a simmer and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the sauce cool for a few minutes. Repeat this process of bringing it to a boil and simmering the sauce three more times. After you have done this, allow the sauce to cool while you make the chicken lettuce wraps.

2. Cooking the Chicken: Heat 2T oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add in the ground chicken and cook until just browned, about 5-7 minutes. Make sure to crumble the chicken as it cooks, so smaller pieces form. Drain the excess fat out of the pan and set aside the cooked chicken while you sauté the vegetables.

3. Making the Asian Chicken: In a large pot, heat the other 2T of oil over medium-high heat. Add in the diced onions, diced red bell pepper, diced green pepper, and the salt. Sauté these vegetables for about 5-10 minutes, until they have cooked down and gave become translucent. Next, toss in the diced water chestnuts, minced garlic, and minced green onions. Stir everything so that it is all mixed together. Bring the heat up to high and let it cook on that temperature for a minute. Drizzle in half of the reduced sweet + salty sauce, stirring to make sure the lettuce wrap mixture is completely coated in the sauce. Lastly, finish off the dish by throwing in the fresh minced basil, minced dried garlic, toasted sesame seeds, as much or as little red pepper flakes that you like, and toasted sesame oil. Turn off the heat and taste the sauced, ground chicken-vegetable mixture. If you think the chicken needs more sauce, salt, or red pepper flakes, then add it to your liking.

4. Assembling the Chicken Lettuce Wraps: Pull off the individual leaves of butter lettuce and wash and dry them. Place the lettuce leaves onto a plate, and then spoon some of the chicken mixture into each leaf. Garnish the top of the chicken lettuce wraps with a drizzle of the sweet + salty sauce, dried minced garlic, pinch of red pepper flakes, and some toasted, crushed peanuts. Enjoy the lettuce wraps while they are still hot (but they are just as delicious if you serve them cold)!

#instagrub : Spicy Nam Tok Beef Salad with Roasted Peanuts

Spicy Nam Tok Beef Salad with Roasted Peanuts

2014 is gonna start off with a bang y'all!! We're moving on up to bigger + better things over here at PLC and it all begins with this Spicy Nam Tok Beef Salad recipe... with roasted peanuts! We swoon over Thai food, I prefer it over any Asian-inspired cuisine, and this our go-to order. It starts off with a sweet, tangy, zesty, spicy, salty, well err everthing kinda vinaigrette/marinade. The mixture includes soy sauce, fish sauce, hoisin, rice wine vinegar, lime, sesame oil, sugar, honey, and seasonings. Then, a'whole'bunch of veggies are added in, like... red onions, shallots, baby cucumber, garlic, ginger, green onion, and spicy jalapenos. Finally it's the vinaigrette is finished off with some fresh herbs and a big pile of medium rare seared filet. You let this "salad"marinate for 4-6 hours until the meat has absorbed the flavors and soaked up a bunch of juice. It stays nice n' plump n' moist for like ever... probably because it's extra-tender filet mignon, who can't get on board with that?! I'm in love with the entire dish, especially the contrast of temperature between the sweet & the heat, as well as the warmth of the roasted peanuts against the cold, crisp salad. Traditionally, it is served with a big pile of cabbage leaves, some sticky rice, more roasted peanuts, and some peanut sauce for drizzling. We like to turn them into killer lettuce wraps and just nosh on them all night! What's great about this recipe is that it's extremely versatile in that it can be served as an appetizer or as a main dish. You could also toss the Nam Tok Beef with some coleslaw or even lo mein to make an Asian chopped salad-- um yum!! Enjoy y'all :)

beginning of the vinaigrette

perfectly seared filet mignon

time to marinate... 

plumped up, garnished with roasted peanuts, & ready to eat!!

For the Nam Tok Beef:

2 8oz Filet Mignons, Cooked Medium-Rare + Thinly Sliced

Half of a Small Red Onion, Shaved

Half of a Shallot, Shaved

5 Green Onions, Thinly Sliced

3 Large Garlic Cloves, Minced

1T Fresh Ginger, Minced

¼C Soy Sauce + Honey

2T Fish Sauce + Sesame Oil

¼C Dark Brown Sugar

2T Sambal Oelek + Rice Wine Vinegar

1T Asian Spice Mix, Red Pepper Flakes, & Crushed Szechuan Peppercorns

1t Peanut Butter Powder

1 Fresh Chili or Jalapeno, Thinly Shaved

1 Small Cucumber, Thinly Sliced

¼C Pickled Shallots

2 Limes, Zested & Juiced

½C Cabbage, Thinly Shaved

A Small Handful of Fresh Cilantro + Fresh Mint, Finely Minced

¼C Chopped Roasted Peanuts (plus extra for topping)

Cabbage Leaves, For Serving (like lettuce wraps)

Directions:

1. For the Steaks: Season your filets with fleur de sel and fresh cracked pepper and heat a pan over high heat. Cook the steaks to the temperature to medium-rare. Let them rest. Thinly slice the steak and let them cool completely on the cutting board. Meanwhile prepare your marinade.

2. For the Salad: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, honey, fish sauce, sesame oil, sambal Oelek, rice wine vinegar, spices, peanut butter powder, and lime zest. Add in the shaved red onion and shallot, green onions, garlic, ginger, jalapeno, cucumber, and pickled shallots. Mix together all of the ingredients and toss to combine and coat. Next, add in the room temperature sliced steak. Marinate for at least 4-6 hours in order for the flavoring to permeate the meat.

3. For Serving: Right before serving, add in fresh squeezed lime juice of the two zested limes, shaved cabbage, minced cilantro and mint, and chopped roasted peanuts. Serve the Nam Tok Beef Salad with cabbage leaves to eat like lettuce wraps. 

Triple Crown Pad Thai with Satay-Marinated Steak, Chicken, & Shrimp

Triple Crown Pad Thai with Satay-Marinated Steak, Chicken, & Shrimp

Sorry,  I'm a little late again. Another day... another set of tests. I'm really starting to grow weary of the visits to the doctor. I don't know how much longer I can make it, it's just mentally exhausting. So, once again, I'm going to keep this short + sweet because it's bedtime for me, my friends. About the recipe, we're big Thai food lovers, more specifically Pad Thai. And who knew, it's really easy to make. I decided to make it extra manly and add steak, chicken, and shrimp that have all been marinated satay spiced paste mixture. I really love all the flavors that come together her. And always garnish with fresh minced cilantro, chopped roasted peanuts, and a drizzle of Sriracha!! Enjoy :)

Without the peanuts... it's oh-so-crucial.

For the Satay-Marinated Steak, Chicken, & Shrimp

½lb Steak, Chicken, & Shrimp Each (We used 1 Large Filet, 4 Chicken Thighs, & 12 Shrimp)

2T Ground Turmeric

½t Ground White Pepper

1 Garlic Clove, Minced

1t Sugar

1t Ground Coriander & Yellow Curry Powder

¼C Coconut Cream

For the Triple Crown Pad Thai:

16oz Wide, Flat Rice Noodles (I bought the noodles that were pre-cooked)

4T Brown Sugar

4T Fresh Lime Juice (I also zested 2 limes for extra flavor, this is optional)

5T Soy Sauce

1T Fish Sauce

1T Honey

¼t Sriracha

1 Bunch of Green onions, Roughly Chopped (we used about 6 green onions)

2 Garlic Cloves, Minced

1t Fresh Ginger, Minced

4 Large Eggs, Beaten

½-1C Fresh Cilantro, Finely Chopped

½C Roasted Peanuts, Finely Chopped

Prepared Satay-Marinated Steak, Chicken, & Shrimp (cooked)

Thai Peanut Sauce, For Drizzling

Directions:

1. For the Satay-Marinated Steak, Chicken, & Shrimp: Mix together the turmeric, white pepper, garlic, sugar, ground cumin, yellow curry powder, and coconut cream until thoroughly combined and mixed well. Separate the marinade evenly into three plastic bags and add one protein to each bag (you should have one steak bag, one chicken bag, and one shrimp bag). Toss the coat the proteins in the marinade. Let the proteins marinate for 30 minutes to an hour before grilling. Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat and cook the meet according to the temperature that you like. The shrimp only requires a couple minutes, the chicken needs to be cooked until there is no pink color in the center, and we like our steak seared to medium-rare (but it is all up to you).

2. In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, limejuice and zest, soy sauce, fish sauce, honey and Sriracha.

3. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.

4. Add scallion whites and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add eggs and cook, scraping skillet with a spatula until eggs are almost set (about 30 seconds). Transfer the eggs to a plate. Add noodles, green onions, and sauce to skillet. Cook, tossing constantly, until noodles are soft (about 1 minute). Add egg mixture and toss to coat, breaking eggs up gently.

5. Garnish the dish with the satay-marinated steak, chicken, and shrimp along with cilantro, roasted peanuts, and a drizzle of Sriracha.

source: easy pad thai.

Thai Chopped Salad with Crispy Brussel Sprouts, Seared Steak, & Sriracha Vinaigrette

I am a fan of good salads. I mean I it's possibly my favorite meal. People think I'm weird for that, but I mean they have everything I want in one bowl. But, I don't want just a plain salad with just lettuce. Wah, that's no good. I want a salad loaded with crap... and by crap, I mean lots of goodies and vegetables. And this salad delivers on that. It has shredded cabbage, fried brussel sprouts, edamame, red bell pepper, red onion, green onion, chopped peanuts, crispy wonton skins, cilantro, and seared steak all tossed in an amazing, spicy sriracha vinaigrette and then drizzled with a Thai peanut sauce. This salad turned out to be one of the best salads either of us had ever had. Legit. It was the perfect meal, and I think great to make for a date night or any other night for that matter. I really can't stop thinking about it. And the sriracha vinaigrette is to die for, I could literally eat it with a spoon!! Enjoy :)

Thai Chopped Salad with Crispy Brussel Sprouts, Seared Steak, & Sriracha Vinaigrette

I love all the ingredients loaded into this salad...

For the Sriracha Vinaigrette:

¼C Toasted Sesame Oil

¼C Rice Vinegar

½C Honey

2T Sriracha

2T White Sesame Seeds, Toasted

¼t Soy Sauce

For the Thai Chopped Salad:   

2C Napa Cabbage, Shredded

2C Brussel Sprouts, Quartered & Fried until Crispy

1 Red Bell Pepper, Finely Chopped

¼C Red Onion, Minced

½C Green Onion, Finely Chopped

½C Shelled Edamame Beans  

1C Fried Wonton Skins

¼C Peanuts, Finely Chopped

2-4T Fresh Cilantro, Minced

Prepared Sriracha Vinaigrette

Thai Peanut Sauce

Thinly Sliced Seared Filet Mignon, Medium Rare (or cooked to your liking)

Fresh Limes

Directions: 

1. To Make the Sriracha Vinaigrette: In a bowl whisk together all of the ingredients until thoroughly combined. Pour into a mason jar and refrigerate until ready to use. Shake it up before tossing on the salad.

2. To Make the Thai Chopped Salad: In a large mixing bowl, mix the cabbage, fried brussel sprouts, red bell pepper, red onion, green onion, Edamame, fried wonton skins, peanuts, cilantro, and thinly sliced steak together until the ingredients are evenly mixed throughout. Pour some of the Sriracha vinaigrette over the salad, and toss until it is evenly coated.

3. Spoon the salad into a large serving bowl and garnish the top of the salad with more fried wonton skins, crushed peanuts, a squeeze of fresh lime juice, and a drizzle of peanut sauce. Enjoy immediately.