Jayni’s Kitchen: Asian Wraps with Chef Nancy Stark
On the menu:
• Vietnamese spring rolls with peanut dipping sauce
• California rolls
• Thai coconut curry lettuce wraps
Thai Coconut Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients:
1/2 pound beef tenderloin or sirloin, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon red curry paste, or to taste
1/2 cup dry-roasted peanuts, chopped
2 inches peeled ginger root, cut into tiny dice
1/2 cup minced shallots
1 lime, cut into tiny wedges or cubes, including peel
1 cup mint leaves
2 tablespoons minced bird or Serrano chiles (optional)
2 medium heads tender leaf or Boston lettuce, washed, dried and separated
Sauce:
1 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 cloves garlic, finely crushed
2 to 4 tablespoons chile-garlic sauce, or to taste
2 teaspoons fish sauce
Directions:
Place the beef in a saucepan with the coconut milk, salt and curry paste and simmer gently over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a shallow bowl and set aside.
Arrange the remaining filling ingredients in piles on a platter, along with the lettuce leaves.
Sauce: Bring first five ingredients to a boil in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer a few minutes, or until thickened slightly. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in chile-garlic sauce and fish sauce. Cool before serving. Makes about 1 1/4 cups of sauce.
Wraps: To assemble a leaf wrap: Take a leaf of lettuce, spoon a little of the beef on it, then add a pinch of each of the other fillings. Top with a drizzle of the Sweet Chili-Garlic sauce, then roll up the lettuce leaf to make a packet. Serves 6 as an appetizer.
— Recipe by Chef Nancy Stark