DadCooksDinner

  • Home
  • Rotisserie
  • Recipes
  • Tools
  • Books
  • Merch
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Books
  • Tools
  • Merch
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Books
    • Tools
    • Merch
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Weeknight dinner

    Turkey Lettuce Wraps, Thai Style

    Published: Dec 1, 2011 · Modified: Jan 26, 2015 by Mike Vrobel · This post may contain affiliate links · 7 Comments

    I have been looking for a Thai flavored variation of my turkey lettuce wraps. After a lot of trial and error,  I have one worth sharing.

    Ground Turkey can be dry and lean; it needs a good sauce to help it out. I've been fascinated Larb*, the Thai/Laotian ground meat and toasted rice dish that is served with lettuce. I've been playing with the sauce, trying to find that balance of hot, sour, salty and sweet that is the backbone of Thai cooking.
    *AKA Laap, or Laab, or Larp. Why so many names? Apparently, there is no standard way of transcribing Thai script into English.

    I was struggling until I came across Leela Punyaratabandhu's blog, SheSimmers.com. After reading her posts, especially the one on Thai Three Flavored Sauce, the light bulb went on. I was making this more difficult than I needed to. Instead of trying to build all the flavors into my sauce, I layered them throughout the dish. I stripped the sauce down to sour (lime juice), salty (soy and fish sauce), and sweet (brown sugar). I moved the heat in the recipe into the pan, by toasting some red pepper flakes, and added cilantro at the very end of the cooking time.
    *And I skipped the toasted rice. It never really worked for me, but that's why I can't call this dish Larb. Or Laap, Laab, or Larp. Oh, never mind. You know what I mean.

    The result? Delicious. Even better, it is quick easy, and suitable for a weeknight. We have a winner!

    Recipe: Turkey Lettuce Wraps, Thai Style

    Inspired by: SheSimmers.com and Joanne Weir, Weir Cooking In the City

    Cook time: 10 minutes

    Ingredients:

    • 2 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil
    • 1 large shallot or 1 small onion, minced
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
    • 1 ½ pounds ground turkey
    • ¼ cup minced cilantro, leaves and stems (plus more for passing at the table)
    • 1 head bibb lettuce, separated into leaves

    Sauce

    • Juice of 2 limes
    • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
    • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
    • 2 tablespoons fish sauce

    Directions:
    See my stir fry basic technique for an overview
    1. Prep the ingredients and the pan: Combine the sauce ingredients, and whisk until the sugar dissolves. Put the peanut oil in a 12" to 14" fry pan or wok, and pre-heat over medium-high heat until just showing wisps of smoke.

    2. Stir fry the aromatics: Add the shallot to the pan and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes or until softened and starting to brown around the edges. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant.

    3. Stir fry the turkey: Add the turkey to the pan. Stir-fry the turkey for 3 minutes or until it has just lost its pink color, breaking up the turkey as it cooks.

    4. Finish with the sauce, then the cilantro: Stir the sauce into the pan and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, or until the sauce reduces a little. Turn off the heat and stir the minced cilantro into the turkey. Transfer to a bowl. Serve with the bibb lettuce leaves for wrapping, and extra minced cilantro to sprinkle on top.

    Notes:
    *Jasmine rice is the traditional side dish. Thai rice noodles, or coconut rice are also good accompaniments.

    *I can't add as much heat to the recipe as I would like; I don't want to blast the kids. I add sriracha to my lettuce wraps at the table. When I'm not worried about the kids, I slice up a thai bird's eye pepper or a serrano and add it to the pan with the onions.

    *As Leela says in her Three Flavored Sauce recipe, the key to the sauce is balancing sweet-sour-salty to your taste. When you try this recipe, whisk the sauce together, then take a taste. Is it the right balance of sweet, salty and sour? I loved these proportions, but maybe you like more sweet (add sugar), or more sour (add lime juice), or more salty (add fish sauce or soy sauce). Then you'll have your own balanced sauce.

    What do you think? Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

    Related Posts:
    Turkey Lettuce Wraps, Thai Style
    Stir fry basic technique
    Thai noodle and pork stir fry

    Inspired by:
    SheSimmers.com, and Joanne Weir, Weir Cooking in the City

    *Enjoyed this post?  Want to help out DadCooksDinner?  Subscribe using your RSS reader or by Email, recommend DadCooksDinner to your friends, or buy something from Amazon.com through the links on this site.  Thank you!

    Subscribe
    BirdSend Email Marketing Tool

    More Weeknight dinner

    • Frito pie in a Fritos bag topped with onions
      Instant Pot Frito Pie
    • A Bowl of Instant Pot Sweet Potato Chili
      Instant Pot Sweet Potato Chili
    • Instant Pot Walking Tacos in a Doritos bag
      Instant Pot Walking Tacos
    • Sloppy Joe sandwich
      Instant Pot Sloppy Joes (Easy Weeknight Recipe)

    Sharing is caring!

    Comments

    1. Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says

      December 15, 2014 at 11:15 am

      Thanks for the suggestions!

      Reply
    2. Michele says

      December 15, 2014 at 1:36 am

      Thank you so much for this recipe. We have been making it regularly for the past 2ish years and I'm just now taking the time to comment and sing it's praises. When I ask my boyfriend what shall we cook for dinner? This dish is his answer the vast majority of the time! I really can't thank you enough for posting it. We eat out a lot and I don't think we have ordered lettuce wraps anywhere since discovering it! It's that good.

      Our tips and comments for what they are worth:

      1. Use shallots and lots of them! They make all the difference. No boring onion 🙂

      2. We love a kick of spice and always use a few serranos or whatever chilis we have on hand. In the fall we use our roasted hatch peppers and it's fantastic!

      3. We do the sauce with equal parts lime, soy, and worcestershire.

      Reply
    3. OysterCulture says

      April 03, 2013 at 10:15 am

      Looks delicious and I am always inspired by the recipe ideas that Leela at SheSimmers shares.  Joanne Weir is also a favorite and I like the looks of your version.

      Reply
    4. Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says

      November 28, 2012 at 11:25 am

      Enjoy!

      Reply
    5. robot_gurl says

      November 28, 2012 at 2:59 am

      Gonna try it tonight! Love Larb/Lahb/Laap/Lap Gai! Ha ha

      Reply
    6. Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says

      April 23, 2012 at 10:04 am

      Thank you.

      Reply
    7. OysterCulture says

      April 23, 2012 at 3:15 am

      Looks delicious and I am always inspired by the recipe ideas that Leela at SheSimmers shares.  Joanne Weir is also a favorite and I like the looks of your version.

      Reply

    Questions? Made the Recipe? Leave a Comment Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Welcome to Dad Cooks Dinner!

    I'm Mike Vrobel, a dad who cooks dinner every night. I'm an enthusiastic home cook, and I write about pressure cooking, rotisserie grilling, and other food topics that grab my attention.

    More About Me →

    Popular

    • Three bowls of cooked Pinto Beans on a wood table
      Instant Pot Pinto Beans (No Soaking)
    • Pressure Cooker Beef Shank (Osso Bucco)
    • Pressure Cooker 7 Hour Leg of Lamb (in 90 minutes)
      Pressure Cooker 7 Hour Leg of Lamb (in 90 minutes)
    • Pressure Cooker Brown Jasmine Rice
    • Grilled Tomahawk Steak (Long Bone Ribeye, Reverse Seared)
      Grilled Tomahawk Steak (Long Bone Ribeye, Reverse Seared)
    • A green bowl full of chicken noodle soup
      Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup

    Seasonal

    • A bowl of asparagus risotto
      Instant Pot Asparagus Risotto (Pressure Cooker Recipe)
    • Grilled Butterflied Chicken with Garlic Butter
    • Sous Vide Rack of Lamb with Dijon Bread Crumb Crust
    • A bowl of beef stew with asparagus, carrots, and radishes.
      Instant Pot Spring Vegetable Beef Stew
    • A Rotisserie Chicken (Pollo Asado)on a platter of shredded cabbage
      Rotisserie Chicken Pollo Asado
    • Rotisserie Pork Shoulder Roast with Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce
      Rotisserie Pork Shoulder with South Carolina Mustard Barbecue Sauce

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    Copyright © 2025 Dad Cooks Dinner

    8 shares