I’ve been getting really sick of eating and cooking the same 5-10 meals over and over again, so I recently decided to try a few new recipes to change things up a bit. First up is the Vietnamese Lettuce Cups, featured in Nom Nom Paleo’s latest cookbook. I love ground meat dishes because they are so versatile. You can put them on lettuce, add it as a topping over rice, or even eat it on its own topped with an egg.
Don’t skip out on the pickled carrot strings because they really add a whole new dimension to this refreshing dish. It, along with the diced apple, also gives it a different textural dimension. The mint and basil really adds a brightness to this dish too that makes it scream summer! Add more fish sauce than the recipe calls for if you want more umami and an extra punch in flavor.
My daughter and husband (two of the pickiest eaters I know) really loved this dish, and I hope you will too!
Ingredients for Quick-pickled Carrot Strings:
1/4 cup apple juice
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large carrots, julienned
Directions: Combine the first three ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Then submerge the julienned carrots into the mixture, cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
. . . . .
Now that we’ve gotten the carrot strings garnish out of the way, we can work on our actual lettuce cup filling… the ingredient list seems long all lumped together, so I’ve separated it out into sections based on when you put the ingredients in. I made these for my husband and in-laws, who do not like cilantro (much to my dismay!! They must have that one cilantro tastebud), so I omitted those. One time I accidentally forgot to buy basil, and I only had mint on hand.. but it was still delicious! So don’t feel like you have to have every single thing on this list, and don’t get too overwhelmed by the ingredients. It’s a versatile recipe!
Ingredients for Lettuce Cups:
1 tablespoon coconut oil (or fat of choice)
1 small shallot, minced (you can use 1/4 of an onion if you don’t have shallots)
Kosher salt
1 pound ground pork (or turkey)
1 tsp fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 medium golden delicious apple, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon minced fresh mint
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
1 head butter lettuce, leaves separated
Sriracha (optional)
Directions: In a large skillet, melt oil over medium heat. When heated, add the shallot and a pinch of salt. Saute about 3 minutes until translucent. Add the ground pork and cook until no longer pink. Add the ginger and garlic, and stir-fry for a few more minutes. Season with fish sauce, lime juice, and pepper.
Remove from heat, add the apple and minced herbs. Stir to combine. Serve in individual lettuce leaves and garnish it with carrot strings and sriracha (if you like heat).
Adapted from: The cookbook, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans
nectarine / 2433 posts
Yum! My SO makes a very similar dish on a regular basis and it is one of my favourites
coconut / 8430 posts
That looks super delicious!
blogger / honeydew / 7081 posts
Drool! I love Vietnamese food…and have never made it!
blogger / persimmon / 1220 posts
Looks yummy!
blogger / pomegranate / 3491 posts
Yum!
blogger / pear / 1563 posts
Oh my gosh! This looks AMAZING! Plus, it’s paleo. I’ll definitely need to try this soon!
blogger / apricot / 367 posts
Looks so fresh and delicious! Can’t wait to try these out!
blogger / clementine / 998 posts
I love Vietnamese food!
blogger / nectarine / 2687 posts
oooohhh, this looks and sounds delish! must try! thank you!!
blogger / nectarine / 2600 posts
I love Vietnamese food too!!!
grapefruit / 4997 posts
Yummy! This looks delicious. I think ground chicken would be tasty too.
blogger / kiwi / 675 posts
these look awesome!
blogger / persimmon / 1398 posts
I’m drooling! Giving this a try on my next menu rotation!!
GOLD / grapefruit / 4555 posts
Yum! How do the kids like it? I’m pretty sure mine would just ask for mac ‘n cheese if I tried to feed them this but they’re suspicious of lettuce.