Asian Lettuce Cups

I was craving lettuce cups the other day and remembered to take the needed photos in order to post. Hooray! I didn't forget! I'm just calling these Asian Lettuce Cups because each Asian culture has their own version and this recipe isn't traditional to any of them (I don't think so anyways). This is alittle bit Thai, alittle bit Vietnamese and even Chinese. Perhaps I should call these Fusion Asian Lettuce Cups. I know these have alot of ingredients but they're mainly spices so don't be deterred.

Ingredients:

1 head iceberg or 2 heads of butter leaf lettuce
1 large shallot, peeled and sliced thin
1 small yellow onion (minced)
2 1/2 pounds of ground pork, chicken or turkey
4 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoons thick soy sauce (you can find gf thick soy at the Asian grocers)
1/2 teaspoon of sugar or honey
2 teaspoons cornstarch or tapioca starch
2 teaspoons chili oil (optional)
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 teaspoons finely minced ginger
4 red chilies (can used dried)
1/2 cup carrots (shredded or thinly chopped)
1 Tablespoon fresh basil (chopped)
2 limes sliced into wedges
3 scallions, sliced thin
black or white pepper
Cooked rice (optional for serving)

Directions:

Add oil into a skillet and fry up the sliced shallots until golden brown. Remove shallots from skillet and set aside.
Add more oil to skillet and set to a high temperature, add the meat and onions to the skillet and cook for about 15 minutes. 

Once the meat is cooked, reduce the temperature to medium and add the hoisin sauce, thick soy sauce, sugar/honey, pepper, cornstarch and chili oil, red chilies, garlic and ginger into the pork and onion pan and mix. 

Add the carrots, basil and scallions, stir and continue cooking on medium for an additional 10-15 minutes. Taste and add more spices if needed.

Wash pat dry your lettuce. Separate the leaves and arrange on a platter. Cut your lime wedges and add to platters. Scoop some filling into the center of each leaf. Place your your hoisin and Sriracha sauces in easy access to eaters. Enjoy.