fish sauce caramel lettuce wraps

a versatile (and quick) summer lunch or dinner

lettuce wraps are one of my go-to summer meals for a variety of reasons. they’re light, fresh, endlessly adaptable and—obviously—really delicious. you can make them as complex or simple as you want and, pretty much no matter what, you will end up with a perfect bite. for this recipe, i wanted to make a super stripped back lettuce wrap with just three main components: seasoned ground meat, crisp leaves of lettuce and steamed rice. that being said, what makes this recipe truly work is the fish sauce caramel which requires some effort and forethought, but pays out big.

fish sauce caramel has been around for awhile, having graced the digital pages of food & wine as early as 2014 and taste cooking some years later. the technique and foundational flavor profile is based off vietnamese caramel sauce, which is a deeply burnished vietnamese pantry staple that’s used in braises, marinades and glazes.

the most effort you’ll spend on this recipe is making the fish sauce caramel, but once it’s made, you’ll be able to keep it on hand for basically forever to make these super simple, hot summer evening lettuce wraps or to use as you would classic vietnamese caramel; vegetable glazes and meat marinades being some of my personal favorites. i also recommend mixing it with lime juice and chopped bird’s eye chilis to make a tart and spicy sauce for fresh or fried spring rolls, and leafy or noodle-y salads.

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for the fish sauce caramel; makes about 1 cup / 250 grams and can be made up to 1 month in advance; this recipe is an adaptation of andrew zimmern’s fish sauce caramel for food & wine

200 grams sugar

20 grams fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)

60 ml water

1 thumb-sized knob fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves

1 shallot

1 fresh or dried bird’s eye chili (substitute: 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes)

2 whole star anise

1/2 cinnamon stick

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

60 ml fish sauce (i like red boat fish sauce the best, not sponsored, just saying)

1. add sugar, lemon juice and half the water to a small pot and stir gently to combine. bring to a boil over medium-high heat, gently swirling the pot every so often. once boiling, reduce the heat to low and let cook until the mixture is a deep amber color, about 10 minutes; i recommend sticking by the pot and keeping a watchful eye on the caramel as it can go quickly from transparent to burnt.

2. in the meantime, thinly slice the ginger, peel and crush the garlic and thinly slice the shallot. add ginger, garlic, shallot, chili (if using fresh, split the chili before adding), star anise, cinnamon and black pepper to a bowl.

3. once the caramel is made, remove it from the heat and stir in the aromatics and fish sauce; it will bubble up so be careful. mix well to combine then let cool completely before sieving out the aromatics and storing in the fridge for at least one month; i’ve had caramels in the fridge that have lasted much longer.

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for the lettuce wraps; serves 2

1 romaine heart (substitute: butter, bibb or even iceberg lettuce; you could also use napa cabbage leaves as an alternative)

1 clove garlic

1/2 thumb-sized knob fresh ginger

250 grams ground meat of choice (i personally prefer chicken or pork for this, but ground beef is just fine as well; if you want to skip meat completely, you could fry some slices of japanese eggplant or cubes of firm tofu instead)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons fish sauce caramel, plus more to taste

steamed rice for serving (i like short grain white rice or jasmine rice here)

optional additions for serving: thinly sliced scallion, fresh mint or basil, sliced cucumber or carrot, thinly sliced shallots (soaked in cold water before serving to remove their sharp bite), and nam prik pao or your favorite spicy condiment

1. separate the lettuce leaves from the head, then wash and dry really well. arrange on a serving plate and set aside. peel and finely grate the garlic and ginger. take your ground meat out of the package and use your hands to separate it into 4 equal-ish pieces, shaping each into a patty.

2. heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium-high. once hot, add the ground meat patties and let cook until deeply browned on the bottom. flip and repeat. once browned on both sides, use a spatula to break up the meat into small, relatively even pieces. add the garlic and ginger and let cook until very fragrant and cooked through.

3. once cooked through and well broken up, add the fish sauce caramel and season with salt and pepper. once the caramel has started to stick a bit to the pan and is evenly coating the meat in a glossy sauce, remove from the heat. taste and add more seasoning or fish sauce caramel. serve immediately with steamed rice, fillings and toppings as desired.