Shrimp Lettuce Cups
There is nothing better on a warm summer day than an appetizer that’s cool and yummy. With Hawaii’s weather it’s no surprise that you find many different versions of this recipe. It appears on menus of Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese Restaurants, and I even saw a version on an Izakaya Restaurant menu. This simple recipe is made with shrimp and chicken; but feel free to be adventurous and prepare this with pork, only chicken or tofu.
1 lb. shrimp, peeled, deveined, diced
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
½-inch ginger, peeled, minced
4 stalks green onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, diced
1 (14 oz.) can sliced bamboo shoots, rinsed, chopped
1 (4 oz.) can sliced water chestnuts, rinsed, chopped
1 ½ TB sesame oil
2 tsp cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup water
1 head iceberg or butter lettuce leaves
Sauce:
¼ c. oyster sauce
2 TB dry sherry
2 TB Aloha shoyu
2 tsp honey or agave nectar
1 tsp. chili garlic paste
In a mixing bowl; combine sauce ingredients; set aside. In a skillet over medium high heat; stir fry chicken, garlic, ginger, green onion and celery until chicken has browned. Remove from pan and set aside. Add the shrimp, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts to the skillet. Add sauce ingredients and cook on medium heat. Stir in cornstarch slurry and chicken into skillet. Stir until chicken is heated through.
For service: spoon mixture into lettuce leaves; optional to serve with favorite chili dipping sauce. Serves 6-8.