lettuce wraps, pei wei style
Based on a childhood suburban favorite, these lettuce wraps are easy to make and so satisfying to eat. This recipe includes frying rice noodles for extra crunch, but you can always skip that step and add another crispy topping of your choosing! Or none at all! The extra vegetables give some textural and flavor variety, but be careful seasoning the filling before adding the sauce – there’s a lot of flavor and salt going in at the end.
yield 4 servings
chicken filling
2 tablespoons neutral oil
1 lb ground chicken
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, coarsely chopped
4 oz shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, thinly sliced
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
8 oz canned water chestnuts, drained and coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon grated or minced ginger
2 teaspoons grated or minced garlic
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
2 tablespoons rice vinegar or black vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
fried noodles
neutral oil, for frying
2 oz dried maifun (really skinny) rice noodles (about 1/4 package)
for serving
1 head bibb or butter lettuce, leaves separated
roasted cashews, coarsely chopped (optional)
roasted sesame seeds (optional)
Sriracha (optional)
riffing
sub another ground meat, crumbled tofu, or plant-based ground
use storebought wonton strips instead of rice noodles
stir in any leftover vegetables dying in your crisper
recipe prep
In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon ginger, 2 teaspoons garlic, 1/3 cup hoisin, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, and 1 tablespoon sesame oil. Set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon neutral oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add chicken, pressing into a thin layer and let cook, undisturbed, for 1 minute. Season very lightly with salt and pepper. Break up chicken and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until finely ground, cooked through, and crispity golden in plenty of spots, about 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to a bowl and set aside.
Return skillet heat to high and add 1 tablespoon neutral oil. Add onions, peppers, mushrooms, and half of the scallions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until everything is softened, about 7 minutes (don’t worry if it gets a little watery at first, it will evaporate! Everything is okay!).
Reduce heat to medium-low. Return chicken to the pan along with sauce mixture and chopped water chestnuts. Cook, stirring constantly, until everything is fully coated, fragrant, and the sauce is slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
To make the fried noodles, add 2 inches of neutral oil to a medium pot over high heat and line a baking sheet with paper towels. When the oil is shimmery, drop a single maifun noodle into the pan to test. If the noodle instantly curls up into a styrofoam squiggle, your oil is hot enough. Break up noodles into mediumish sections.
Working one section at a time, add noodles to the pot. As soon as they puff-up, flip the noodles if needed to fry any untouched bits. Using a slotted spatula or spoon, remove them from the pan and transfer to the paper towel. Repeat with remaining noodles.
For serving, top chicken filling with remaining scallions, cashews, sesame seeds and a drizzle of sriracha, if desired. Serve with lettuce leaves for wrapping and fried noodles for extra crunch.
do it ahead You can totally make the chicken filling ahead of time, but the noodles do not stay crispy for long and are particularly vulnerable to humidity, so make them close to serving time.
