Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Total Time: 45 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 head iceberg lettuce
• 130 g egg noodles, chinese style (or chow mein noodles)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 chicken breasts, chopped into bite sized pieces
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 yellow pepper, finely chopped
• 1/4 red pepper, finely chopped
• 250 g sliced water chestnuts, slivered
• 2 cups shiitake mushrooms, slivered, matchstick (or crimini)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
• 5 tablespoons hoisin sauce, use more if desired
• 1 tablespoon chili sauce, adjust to taste
• 2 scallions, slivered
• 1 teaspoon coriander or 1 teaspoon cilantro
• 1/4 cup peanuts, kettle cooked is best (crushed or whole)

Recipe

• 1 unwrap lettuce into "cups" and wash thoroughly.
• 2 heat vegetable oil in a wok, on medium high heat, and after a minute, add noodles. you will want to separate them with your fingers as you add so that the noodles are not clumpy. cook for 5 to 10 minutes depending on the level of crispiness desired.
• 3 prepare (chop) your chicken and vegetables as you wait.
• 4 once the noodles are done, remove and set aside.
• 5 if desired, pour 1 tsp of oil in the same wok before you saute the garlic. do this for about 30 seconds. garlic can burn quickly so do not leave it too long.
• 6 add chicken, stir fry until no longer pink.
• 7 add onion, peppers, chestnuts, and mushrooms. fry for about a minute.
• 8 while waiting for the vegetables to saute, combine soy sauce and sugar. mix with a spoon until the sugar is dissolved.
• 9 add the soy sauce mixture to the pan. fry for about 2 minutes.
• 10 add the hoisin sauce and chili paste.
• 11 add the scallions, coriander and peanuts.
• 12 serve over the noodles that were set aside. to assemble, spoon chicken and noodle mixture into lettuce cup. wrap and enjoy :).
• 13 if desired, shrimp can be substituted for chicken. note on hoisin sauce: because hoisin is a prominent flavour in this recipe, different types of sauces may alter the taste. try to find a simple hoisin sauce by looking at the ingredients. i tend to stay away from additional vinegars or spices, but ultimately the choice is up to you.