Thai Larb Lettuce Cups
with mango and cucumber salsa

Name: Thai Larb Lettuce Cups
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 3/4 cup Quinoa, uncooked; 1 1/2 cups Stock, any type; 2 cloves Garlic, chopped; 3 Tbsp Soy sauce, low-sodium; 1 tsp Fish sauce; 1/4 tsp Sugar; 1/2 tsp Red pepper flakes (opt); 6 leaves Mint, fresh, finely chopped; 1/4 cup Cilantro, fresh, finely chopped; 1 Limes, wedges; 12 leaves Lettuce, butterhead, sub iceberg; 1 Tbsp Water; 1 tsp Cornstarch; 1 Tbsp Oil, cooking; 1 lb Pork, ground; 1/4 cup Peanuts; for serving Hot sauce (opt); 8 oz Cucumbers, diced; 2 Mangos, diced; 1 tsp Vinegar, rice

Active: 30 min Total: 30 min

Original GF Paleo Vegetarian

In Thailand, larb is the name for a super simple dish of finely chopped protein sauteed with a bit of seasoning and tossed with fresh herbs and lime juice. We've given this dish a Cook Smarts twist by adding quinoa and serving it in lettuce cups.
Smarts: As you can imagine, in Thailand this dish is usually very spicy, so don't hesitate to add extra red pepper flakes or hot sauce if you'd like to serve it that way.

Ingredients

Metric

Servings:

Thai Larb Pork Lettuce Cups with Quinoa:

Quinoa, uncooked - 3/4 cup
Stock, any type - 1 1/2 cups
Garlic - 2 cloves , chopped
Soy sauce, low-sodium - 3 Tbsp
Fish sauce - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1/4 tsp
Red pepper flakes (opt) - 1/2 tsp
Mint, fresh - 6 leaves , finely chopped
Cilantro, fresh - 1/4 cup , finely chopped
Limes - 1 , wedges
Lettuce, butterhead - 12 leaves , sub iceberg
Water - 1 Tbsp
Cornstarch - 1 tsp
Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp
Pork, ground - 1 lb
Peanuts - 1/4 cup
Hot sauce (opt) - for serving

Mango and Cucumber Salsa:

Cucumbers - 8 oz , diced
Mangos - 2 , diced
Vinegar, rice - 1 tsp

Prep

Quinoa - (Skip if made ahead for Monday.) Combine quinoa with stock in a saucepan. Add some salt. Bring to a boil covered. Lower heat, keep covered, and cook until liquid is absorbed, 8 to 10 minutes. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
Make sauce - Chop garlic. Combine garlic, soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and red pepper flakes. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
Mint / Cilantro / Limes / Lettuce - Prep as directed. Combine mint and cilantro. Store limes and lettuce separately. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
Cucumbers / Mangos - Prep as directed.
Make slurry - Whisk together water and cornstarch.

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Make

Combine cucumbers, mangos, and vinegar.
Heat a wok or large skillet with oil over medium-high heat. Add pork and saute until nearly cooked through, ~5 minutes.
Add sauce and bring to a simmer. When sauce is simmering, give cornstarch slurry a stir and add it to pork. Stir everything together and continue cooking until sauce thickens and pork is fully cooked.
Remove pork from heat and stir in quinoa, mint, and cilantro. Squeeze half the lime wedges over top.
Assemble lettuce cups by filling lettuce leaves with pork, peanuts, and hot sauce (if using). Squeeze extra lime wedges over top. Serve mango cucumber salsa on the side or spoon some onto lettuce cups if you’d like. Enjoy!

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Thai Larb Lettuce Cups with mango and cucumber salsa