Basil Pork Lettuce Cups

After an afternoon with Penga-Sis, eating an entire baguette of sourdough bread with creamy brie and basalmic vinegar tomato bruschetta, no one felt like starching out again at dinnertime. Instead of our usual fare of noodles or rice, we decided to try some lettuce cups!

Specifically, basil pork lettuce cups, adapted from this spicy basil chicken lettuce wrap recipe.  I used pork because ground pork is cheaper than ground chicken for whatever reason.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground pork
1 can water chestnuts
1 cup diced green onion
1 tbsp chili garlic sauce
1.5 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
.5 tbsp sugar
a handful of thai basil leaves (the more the merrier, in my opinion!)
one head of iceberg lettuce (or whatever you feel gives you a "cup" shape)

First, chop up the water chestnuts if they weren't already diced in the can.  Ours were sliced.

looks like garlic rice, haha!

Cook the ground meat in a skillet - since pork is fatty, don't bother adding a ton of extra oils.  Once it's cooked, add in chestnuts and green onions.

Then mix together all your sauces and sugar and put it in with the meat.  I'm convinced a little fish sauce would have tasted divine, but Penga-Sis convinced me not to experiment. :P

Lastly, add in the basil leaves, yum yum!

Cook until the leaves wilt and whither.

Serve in your lettuce leaf! (or on rice, if you want some starch)

It was really good, and not too spicy for us wimps. Though next time I'm definitely going to add some fish sauce for extra "umph".