Thai Pork Lettuce Wraps

These are quite summery, but I think the whole ritual of making them yourself adds to the whole eating experience - you would hardly realise they were low fat. Also, in emergencies I have used dried mint, Thai basil, lime leaves and lemon grass and, if I have some in, I sometime throw in a bit of chopped ginger and a big squeeze of lime juice. As you can see, most of the ingredients need to be finely chopped so don't be afraid of throwing then into the food prcessor for a quick whizz.

Although you don't always need it, you can serve with a dipping sauce such as sweet chilli sauce or a touch of soy/nam pla/sugar/lime mix

Thai Pork Lettuce Wraps

200g minced lean pork
big spring of Thai basil, finely chopped
2-3 kaffir limes leaves, finely chopped
1.2-1 lemon grass stalk, finely chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
big sprig of mint, finely chopped
a few spring onions, sliced
3 tablespoon nam pla
2 tablespoons light soy

Mix all of the above together and leave to marinade if possible.

1/2 iceberg lettuce
8-10 rice paper wraps

Take your pork mix and fry it it a medium hot pan until cooked and crumbly - you can add a bit of sesame oil if you desire. If it looks at all dry, add a little extra soy. Remove to a bowl and cover with foil.

Half your lettuce and pull out the leaves without breaking them so you have lots of lettuce cups. Wash and drain them.

Take your rice paper sheets and plunge them into a bowl of hot water (or bouillon stock if you fancy it). When soft (20 seconds) remove them and blot dry on kitchen roll. Lay a wrap into each lettuce cup.

Arrange your wrap-lined lettuce cups on a plate and serve with the bowl of pork on the side. The trick is to spoon a small amount of the pork into the lettuce cup roll it up and eat it.

When I can't be bothered with the wraps I use rice noodles - cook as per the instructions (normally a few minutes of boiling) drain and blanch in cold water. Pop into a bowl and attack briefly with a pair of scissors, dress in a few splashes of nam pla and soy and let people make up thier own wraps using the noodles and pork.