Uh-huh. You bought all that stuff for an exotic Asian dish, which was okay, but what on earth are you going to do with the rest of the bottle of oyster sauce, the dried mushrooms and the rice wine? Do I have a solution for you? Indeed I do.
I found this recipe in Saveur magazine and thought it would appeal to the emerging palate of our Apprentice Eater. Saveur, it turns out, got it from a great blog called rasamalasia.com and did a little adapting. I did a little more adapting, and this is the result. It’s light, and quick to cook once the prep is done. It’s definitely finger food–in fact, small lettuce leaves could be used to make an hors d’oeuvre. And I don’t think a quick re-heat would do major damage to the meat mixture, so it’s not impossible to cook in advance.
The Saveur version called for 20 cashew nuts. I subbed walnuts, because it’s what I had on hand, but the point of the whole thing is crunch, so it was no surprise to see that the blog used water chestnuts. Both versions called for iceberg lettuce, but thinking about rolling the filling in the lettuce, I had visions of iceberg being more like a crisp taco shell, prone to crack. I had leaf and Boston lettuce on hand, and they worked perfectly. The dried mushrooms give a great flavor, and they keep forever. They’re a staple around here. And the soaking liquid makes a great addition to risotto or soups; I have a resealable plastic bag in the freezer marked "mushroom broth" with just that.
The contrast of the cool lettuce and the warm filling is great. You can have some chili sauce on hand for those who like it a little spicier, but I think this is fine the way it is.
LETTUCE WRAPS WITH CHICKEN
1 lb. ground chicken
12 English walnuts, coarsely chopped
4 dried shiitake mushrooms, softened in hot water, stemmed and finely chopped
2 green onions, finely chopped
4 tsp. soy sauce
1 Tbs. oyster sauce
1 Tbs. rice wine (or dry sherry)
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. sugar
freshly-ground pepper to taste
2 Tbs. cooking oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
16-20 lettuce leaves, to wrap filling
cilantro sprigs or leaves (optional)
Put chicken, nuts, mushrooms and green onions in a bowl. In another bowl, stir together the soy and oyster sauces, wine, cornstarch, sugar and pepper. Pour over chicken and mix well. (Mixture will be very sticky.) Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the oil, and when oil is hot, add the garlic. Cook for 10-15 seconds and add the chicken. Cook, stirring and breaking up clumps, until all the pink is gone.
Place lettuce leaves on a platter and the chicken mixture in a bowl. Garnish with cilantro. Spoon some the chicken onto a leaf, roll up and eat. The Apprentice Eater had seconds.
Serves 4.
-Ann