Thai-inspired turkey lettuce wraps

A fresh and flavourful meal!

Every time I buy a bunch of herbs to make a dish, I spend the rest of the week frantically making sure to use them all up as I abhor food waste. I know I can chop and freeze herbs mixed with water or oil, but I particularly love the flavour of them when fresh so I usually find it easy to come up with a few menu ideas to make sure they are enjoyed at their peak. These lettuce wraps are a case in point. Loosely inspired by this Laotian larb bowl recipe that we love and make often, this dish features lean ground turkey, a lot of delicious seasonings and some green beans for crunch and colour. The filling and rice can be made ahead and reheated at serving time, making this dish a super fast and delicious meal any night of the week and one that is fun to set up buffet-style so people can assemble their own wraps.

Ingredients

• 1 head Boston (Bibb) lettuce
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) fish sauce (regular or gluten-free)
• 1 tablespoon (12 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) water
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 teaspoons (10 mL) oyster sauce (regular or gluten-free)
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) soy sauce (or tamari, for gluten-free)
• 1/2 – 1 teaspoon sriracha (or to taste)
• 1 cup (190 g) jasmine rice, cooked per package directions
• 3 tablespoons (45 mL) canola oil, divided
• 3 tablespoons (28 g) minced shallot
• 1 tablespoon (6.5 g) minced garlic
• 1 lb (454 g) lean ground turkey
• 8 oz (227 g) Chinese long beans (or regular green beans), in 1/3 inch (.8 cm) pieces
• Chopped cilantro, mint and basil leaves, for serving
• Chopped roasted peanuts, for serving (optional)
• Lime wedges, for serving

Method

• Wash and spin or pat dry Boston lettuce leaves. Wrap in plastic or beeswax and refrigerate.
• In a small bowl, stir together fish sauce, sugar, water, lime juice, oyster sauce, soy sauce and sriracha; set aside.
• Rinse and cook rice according to package directions.
• While rice cooks, prepare the filling. Heat 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of the canola oil in a large skillet placed over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the ground turkey. Cook the turkey until no traces of pink remain, breaking up clumps with a spoon (about 5-7 minutes).
• Push the turkey to one side of the skillet. Add remaining canola oil and let it heat for a minute, then add chopped beans. Stir fry them until tender-crisp, about 3 minutes.
• Pour the fish sauce mixture over the chicken and beans then stir to blend well.
• To serve, place one or more lettuce leaves on each plate. Add a spoonful of rice, spreading it out to fill the leaf. Top with ground turkey and green bean mixture.
• Sprinkle a generous amount of cilantro, mint and basil over the meat mixture, followed by a teaspoonful of chopped peanuts. Serve warm, passing lime wedges to squeeze over top.

Serves 4.