Ingredients

The following ingredients have 7 Servings
  • ½ cup sweet sticky Asian rice
  • 2 pounds pork shoulder, coarsely ground, see notes below recipe
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • 1 cup red onions sliced thin and cut in half
  • ¼ cup fresh lime juice (about 1-2 limes)
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • ½ teaspoon coconut sugar
  • 1-2 tablespoons garlic chili sauce, depending on how hot you like it
  • 12 fresh basil leaves (if large, cut in half)
  • 30 fresh mint leaves
  • ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves, no stems
  • 1 green onion sliced
  • 2 heads Boston lettuce
  • 2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
  • 2 cups shredded or thinly spiralized carrots

Instruction

  • In a medium sauté pan over medium heat, place dry sweet rice and cook and toss for 10-15 minutes until golden and toasted. Remove from pan to a platter to cool. Be careful not to scorch.
  • Once cool, place in a small food processor and grind to a fine grain, about the size of a sesame seed. Set aside.
  • In a large sauce pan or pot (this is how it is traditionally cooked), place ground pork with no additional oils or fats. Cook to brown, about 10 minutes.
  • Add the vegetable stock and simmer on medium to evaporate for 15 minutes.
  • Add onion and cook for two minutes.
  • Add 4 tablespoons of the ground browned rice, and set the rest of the ground rice aside for garnish.
  • Remove from heat and let sit for one minute then stir in lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, garlic chili sauce, basil, mint, cilantro and green onions. Stir to combine and serve in lettuce cups with shredded red cabbage and carrots.
  • Sprinkle the remaining ground rice over each portion.