Also on the menu, this week on Jayni’s Kitchen:

• Fresh vietnamese spring rolls w/ peanut dipping sauce

• California rolls

Thai Coconut Curry 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

Sweet Chile-Garlic 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.

Make the Sweet Chile-Garlic 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.

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 Nancy Stark