Thai wraps

As has been our tradition for over 20 years, Peggy, Anne, and I get together for our birthdays. Peggy’s is in the winter, mine is in the fall and Anne’s is in the summer. Most often we go to a restaurant but with social distancing still of large concern, gathering at my house, in the pool to be exact, seemed like the best option. Yay for sun and chlorine!

Peggy was in charge of dessert along with our joint gift and card. I was in charge of dinner. It’s summer and it’s hot, so something cool and refreshing, that we could enjoy while wading in the pool, seemed like the way to go. PLUS, I’ve been dying to try out the new floating “Harmony Board” I purchased several months ago.

I used pre-cooked sticky rice from Costco. It comes in an 8-pack and can be found in the same aisle as the dry rice. It takes only 90 seconds to heat in the microwave. I used 2 packages for this meal.

Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Sauce

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar, packed
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha

Turkey

• 1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
• 1 large shallot, peeled and 2/3 of it thinly sliced, 1/3 minced
• 4 green onions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

To Serve

• 3 heads baby romaine and/or 1 head butter lettuce, leaves carefully separated into “cups”
• 2 large carrots, peeled and roughly grated
• 1 English cucumber, diced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 avocados, peeled and diced
• 2 cups cooked sticky rice
• 1 lime, sliced into wedges
• 1 cup toasted peanuts
• 1 cup of mixed leaves of fresh basil, cilantro, and mint

Sauce: Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl, and set aside.

Turkey: Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the shallot and green onions and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and jalapeño and cook 1 minute or until fragrant.

Push everything in the skillet up on the sides of the pan and add the ground turkey to the center of the skillet. As you break up the turkey, mix the ingredients pushed on the sides of the skillet in and cook until turkey is cooked through and no longer pink, about 6 minutes.

Once the turkey is browned, pour the sauce over, then add the chopped herbs, and mix well. Cook the mixture 2 more minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl and allow to cool slightly while you arrange the serving platter.

To Serve: Place the bowl of turkey on a large board or platter and garnish with a few of the herb leaves. Warm the sticky rice and place it in a bowl, place the bowl on the platter. Place the diced avocado in a small bowl and add to the platter. Arrange the lettuces, carrot, and cucumber around the edges. Place the remaining herb leaves and the toasted peanuts along the side. Garnish with lime wedges. To make a wrap, take a lettuce leaf or cup and spoon some Thai turkey in the center, top with the other ingredients, gather up, and enjoy!

Serves 6