Chicken Patties in Lettuce Cups

Cook Time 40 minutes

Servings 5

Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable oil
6 spring onions, white part only, finely chopped
½ bunch of coriander, stalks finely chopped and leaves reserved
1 x 2cm piece of ginger, finely minced
1 clove garlic, finely minced
2 tbsp green curry paste
½ tsp fish sauce
1 tsp chilli paste
1 tbsp Tamarind paste
500g minced chicken (or two chicken breast minced yourself in a food processor)
1 iceberg lettuce
250g thin rice noodles
1 carrot, cut into julienne or grated
½ cup of unsalted peanuts, toasted

Vietnamese dressing
1 fresh long chilli, finely chopped
2 tbsp caster sugar
4 tbsp hot water
2 tbsp fresh lime or lemon juice
2 tbsp fish sauce

Method

In a medium pan heat the 1 tablespoon of the oil to medium heat and add the spring onions, coriander stems, ginger and garlic and sauté until it just starts to go golden brown. Now add the curry paste, fish sauce, chilli and tamarind paste and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Place this mixture into a large bowl and cool to room temperature.

For the lettuce, cut the core out of the lettuce and then pull the outer leaves away gently. Reserve in iced water in the fridge (this will keep them very crunchy). Cook rice noodles as per packet instructions.

Add the chicken mince into the bowl with the cooled spice mixture. Combine well. Wet your hands with water (so the mix doesn’t stick to your hands) and start shaping the mince mixture into 6 patties. Heat a pan over a medium-high heat and add the remaining oil. Cook patties for 2-3 minutes on each side or until cooked through.

For the dressing, place all of the ingredients into a bowl and stir until the sugar has dissolved.

Pat the lettuce cups dry with paper towelling and place into individual serving bowls. Add a small amount of the noodles, then the cooked chicken patties and carrot. Drizzle over the dressing and garnish with reserved coriander leaves and peanuts.