Mmm Monday: Lettuce Wrap

Since it's Mmm Monday over at Mommies with Cents, I thought I'd share one of my favorite foods in the whole world - the lettuce wrap!

Ingredients
1.5lbs chicken (or beef, or shrimp, or a mixture)
8 dried shiitake mushrooms ]
8 oz. can bamboo shoots, minced ] Group #1
8 oz. can water chestnuts, minced ]
1 tsp ginger, minced ]
2 cloves garlic, minced ] Group #2
2 green onions, minced ]

Marinade sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp dry sherry (you can use cream sherry if you can't find dry sherry)
2 tsp water
1 tsp oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
Salt & Pepper

Cooking Sauce
1 tsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp dry sherry
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp water
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp cornstarch


1. Cover the mushrooms with boiling water. Let stand for 30 minutes and drain. Mince.
2. Let chicken/beef/shrimp marinate for at least 15 minutes.
3. Prepare cooking sauce. Mince ingredients and combine in their groups.
4. On medium high heat, add 3 tbsp oil. Add chicken/beef/shrimp and stir fry. Set aside.
5. Add 2 tsp oil, add group 1 (ginger, garlic, green onion). Stir fry.
6. Add group 2 (mushroom, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts). Stir fry.
7. Return chicken/beef/shrimp to pan.
8. Add cooking sauce to pan. Stir fry until sauce is thick.
9. Spoon into lettuce leaf, add cellophane noodles if desired, wrap, and enjoy!

I love this lettuce wrap - it's a very frugal but delicious recipe, and it's good for lunch or dinner. Normally I make it for myself for dinner, and have enough leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Ingredients all cost less than $5. It's also a pretty healthy dish, and I can eat lettuce without feeling like a grazing cow. But my favorite thing about the lettuce wrap is the fact that I can prepare it in stages. As a new mom with no help, I can mince or make the sauces whenever I have a spare moment, and I can stop at anytime without worrying about anything. I only have to stay the stove for 10 minutes maximum...!