Lettuce wraps: Pop one into your mouth and let your taste buds run wild!
We were planning a surprise party for a friend, and one of the other planners asked specifically for me to make these lettuce wraps. She remembered them fondly from a previous party. They really are delightful morsels, an example of the whole being far better than its parts.
And there are a lot of parts to this recipe, with several ingredients requiring preparation. But I've found that a food processor makes short work of the task, especially if you have a processor that has multiple speeds. I turn mine to a middle setting, so that the peanuts and shallots are not pulverized but instead chopped into even-sized bits.
I've also found that low-salt soy sauce is better in this recipe, though I normally go for full-throated tamari in my dishes. Otherwise the saltiness can overwhelm the sour and sweet—all three flavors, in delicate balance, are what make these bites so tastebud-popping delicious.
Use the small Little Gem lettuce if you can find it—the leaves are the perfect size. If you can't find those, use larger butter lettuce, and wrap the leaf around the filling. You could also use large spinach leaves.
Directions:
Lettuce Wraps
4 Little Gem lettuces, or a head of butter lettuce
Filling:
1/2 cup dessicated or shredded coconut, toasted
3/4 cup peanuts
1/4 cup sliced shallots (2 large ones)
2 tablespoons ginger root, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup coriander (cilantro) leaves
2 red chiles, minced
1 lime, chopped (peel and all)
extra lime juice
Place the coconut, peanuts, shallots, ginger root, coriander in a food processor. Whiz gently until thoroughly chopped, but be careful not to turn the peanuts into peanut butter. (Alternatively, if you haven't got a food processor, chop the ingredients finely.)
Remove from the food processor, and stir in the chopped lime and chiles. Mix thoroughly and add a squeeze of lime juice if the mixture seems too dry.
Sauce:
1/2 cup dessicated or shredded coconut, toasted
1/4 cup unsalted peanuts
1/4 cup low-salt soy sauce
2/3 cup water
3 tablespoons sugar
In a small saucepan, combine the coconut, peanuts, soy sauce, sugar and water. Bring to a boil, then lower heat. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and pour the mixture into a food processor. Whiz until combined. If necessary, add more liquid until the mixture is a sauce-like consistency.
Pull the leaves off the lettuce. Place a spoonful of filling in the leaf, then drizzle sauce over the filling. Wrap the leave around the filling as much as possible, then pop in you mouth all at once.
Notes on ingredients:
Dessicated coconut is finer grated than regular American flaked coconut. You'll find it in the Asian food aisle if it's not near the regular baking products. If all you have is regular flaked coconut, try shredding it more finely in the food processor first.
Be sure and chop the limes finely before adding them to the mixture, using a very sharp knife.
Shallots are the small bulb-shaped members of the onion family, not green onions, or scallions.
