One of my all time favorite restaurant items that I have ever had is something called a lettuce wrap. A few years ago a certain fancy Chinese chain restaurant introduced me to this delicacy they serve as an appetizer and a day does not pass by that I don’t think about them. I tried to make them once before but I made it too complicated as I tried to duplicate the appetizer they serve at this certain fancy restaurant. My goal tonight was not too make an over seasoned appetizer but a meal and I slammed dunk this one. The wraps I made today were as perfect a meal as I have ever made. Technique was the key since there are some cooking rules and sequences that I needed to learn and commit to in order to get the desired result.
TECHNIQUE:
Stir frying is simple but you it is so easy to wind up with an oily salty mess. It might taste good but you won’t really be satisfied. Here is my punch list of stir frying rules:
- Use good quality chicken thighs. Yes, chicken thighs not breasts. Sorry, I know they are not pretty but they are cheaper, more flavorful and tender than breasts and certainly more authentic tasting. Of course I use organic.
- Stir fry vegetables in the correct order to ensure everything is done at the same time. In this recipe I used mushrooms so they go first since you have to fry them until most of their water is cooked out and they shrink up. There are web resources out there to help you with your sequencing.
- Use one pan. A large high quality fry pan is a lot easier than a stir fry pan or wok. In the USA most people do not have the correct burners on their stove to use a wok the way it is supposed to be used. I have four stir fry pans and two woks and I really don’t use them anymore. It certainly looks cool and you feel like you are truly connected to the tradition of this ancient cooking technique but, unfortunately, you cannot just slap a wok on a western stove with their tiny circular burner pattern and expect good results. A blazing hot 1,000 degree charcoal grill is another story but that may be a lesson for another day. Usually, I stir fry the proteins until almost completely cooked then set aside while I stir fry the veggies and then add the proteins back in and finish. This recipe I do the veggies first because I am using so many mushrooms and they take a bit to finish. I didn’t want the meat to get completely cold and dry.
- Drain the oil from the meat after frying and return to the pan. Chicken thighs give off a lot of fat. That combined with your oil is too much oil and will not sit well in the stomach.
- If I am doing tougher veggies then I may squirt a little water in the fry pan after a brief stir fry and cover to give them a good steaming before adding the meat back in and finishing.
- By ‘finishing’ the stir fry I simply mean to complete the flavor that I am trying to achieve. Usually this involves adding a couple of tablespoons of soy sauce and a little sesame oil. I may also pepper it up or add some heat in the form of Chinese chili sauce. I do all of this just seconds before I pull it off the heat and serve. You can smell the flavor but I do taste a few pieces until I am satisfied.
- Sprinkle corn starch on your chicken before frying. Your fry will be much tastier and the chicken will melt in your mouth. I don’t know why it works but it does.
- The Chinese say ‘hot pan, cold oil.’ The stir fry is less likely to stick if you do this. Pre-heat the pan until a drip of water skips and boils on the surface. Add oil then start cooking.
- Use real soy sauce. Read the bottle.
- Use Rice Sticks (basically spaghetti made from rice.) Soak for 15-20 minutes in cold water until it is kind of soft but has a bit of chew. You will finish the cooking in your stir fry.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 Boston lettuce. A Boston lettuce has large, very flexible leaves. Use iceberg if you want crisp.
- 3 chicken thighs.
- 1 package of mushrooms. Use your favorite.
- 1 shallot diced (more if you like)
- ½ small can of water chestnuts
- ½ package of rice noodles (rice sticks)
- 3 cloves of garlic (minced)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- Canola oil or smart balance oil for frying
- Chinese chili garlic sauce as a condiment (careful this stuff is hot!)
DIRECTIONS:
This recipe could not be simpler and the technique sections gives you the good stuff you need to know so this section will be short.
Add around half a package of Rice Sticks to a pot of cold water and soak for 15-20 minutes until soft but still a little chewy. If you are adding it to the heat later then you want to leave some room to cook so it doesn’t become mushy when complete. You can do this before you start cooking.
Rinse your boston lettuce leaves and place on a plate.
Put around a tablespoon of oil into a preheated pan at medium heat. Add diced mushrooms and fry until they are no longer steaming (water frying out) and shrunken.
Add finely diced shallot, minced garlic and a TBSP of butter for the mushrooms to absorb. Lightly salt (soy sauce later will add enough saltiness) and generously pepper. Shallots can overcook just as garlic can so lower the heat a little and stir. Shallots will soften, become translucent and slightly caramelized when done so keep an eye on them. Add the diced water chestnuts after a few minutes and warm through.
Empty veggies into a bowl and cover with foil. Wipe out pan, increase heat to medium high and add more oil. Add diced chicken and fry until done. It is hard to cut raw chicken into small pieces so I will continue to chop chicken in to smaller pieces with my stir fry spatula while it is frying. This is usually not necessary but since we are making wraps we need smaller pieces of chicken. Drain oil from pan when done. I dump the chicken into a strainer, wipe out the pan then add the chicken back to the pan.
Add the veggies back to the pan. You could keep the noodles you softened earlier in a separate bowl and add them directly to the wrap at the table but in this recipe I added half of the noodle to the stir fry. I reserved the other half for the table. Add soy sauce and sesame oil. Add more pepper and chili sauce if you are going to make it spicy from the pan. I kept the chili sauce for the table to add on top.
