Recipe: Blue Ginger Chicken Lettuce Cups

Photo by Emily Sterne

This is an extremely simple, home cook-friendly recipe. It's also served in the Blue Ginger Lounge.

Serves 4

• 3/4 cup sweet soy sauce
    • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
    • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
    • 1 teaspoon sambal oelek (or, to taste)
    • 1 tablespoon minced ginger
    • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
    • 1 pound chicken thigh meat, boneless, skinless, and cut into small dice
    • 1 onion, cut into small dice
    • 1 carrot, cut into small dice
    • 3 celery stalks, cut into small dice
    • 1 small jicama (baseball-sized), cut into small dice
    • mung bean vermicelli noodles (1 package)
    • Bibb lettuce leaves
    • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
    • canola oil

Fill a fryer or stockpot one-third with oil and heat to 400 degrees. In a bowl, combine sweet soy sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sambal, ginger, and garlic. In a large saute pan over medium-high heat coated lightly with oil saute chicken until almost cooked through, about five to seven minutes.

Add onions, carrot, celery and jicama, season with salt and pepper and toss. Add sweet soy deglazing mixture and saute; allow to reduce almost completely. Check flavor, season if necessary. Fry vermicelli, it will take seconds to puff up, and remove to a paper towel-lined plate. To serve, divide chicken mixture among four small bowls and place on four dinner plates. Divide Bibb lettuce leaves and mung bean vermicelli among plates.

To eat, make a lettuce wrap and enjoy! Alternatively, serve in a bento box for extra fun.

Copyright Ming Tsai 2008