This recipe began as a desire for lettuce wraps but turned into Hoisin Stir-Fry Bowls with Spicy Peanut Sauce since it’s more convenient to eat your food out of bowls rather than lettuce leaves. …Or is it just me? Also, the soft but sturdy lettuce that is perfect for wraps of lettuce can be a bit pricey, and I’m obsessed with eating bowls. So, I created the filling for a lettuce wrap and then poured it over rice. But you could absolutely do this with lettuce leaves if you’re into that.

USE GROUND PORK, TURKEY, OR CHICKEN

The recipe is extremely adaptable and can be adapted to almost any light ground meat such as pork, turkey, or chicken. I also cut the meat in half and added tons of veggies (like chopped mushrooms) to increase the volume of the dish and keep costs to a minimum. If you’d like, you could use a whole pound of ground meat instead of the mushroom and meat mix.

WHAT IS HOISIN SAUCE?

Hoisin is an extremely versatile sauce to keep in your refrigerator. It’s thick, sweet and tangy. It’s ideal for glazing meat and serving as a dipping sauce or mixing it with other components to create different sauces, dressings, or marinades. I also enjoy using it for an easy stir-fry sauce, such as the one in this dish!

INGREDIENTS

SPICY PEANUT SAUCE*

1/4 cup of natural-style peanut butter ($0.36)

1 Tbsp sriracha ($0.09)

1 tsp soy sauce ($0.02)

1 tsp fresh ginger grated ($0.10)

One teaspoon brown sugar ($0.01)

3TBSP boiling water ($0.00)

PORK AND VEGETABLE MIXTURE

1/2 Tbsp neutral cooking oil** ($0.02)

Two cloves of garlic ($0.16)

1 tsp fresh ginger grated ($0.10)

1/2 lb. ground chicken, ground pork, or turkey ($3.00)

Eight oz. button mushrooms ($1.89)

A large-sized carrot ($0.12)

One red bell pepper ($1.50)

1/3 cup hoisin sauce ($0.84)

1 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.05)

1 tsp toasted sesame oil ($0.11)

BOWL INGREDIENTS

4 cups cooked rice $0.88 ($0.88)

1/4 cup peanuts chopped ($0.19)

Three onions with greens, cut ($0.25)

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix the peanut sauce with a spicy flavor first to give the flavors to mix. In a small bowl, mix your peanut butter with sriracha sauce, soy sauce, and brown sugar, as well as grated ginger (use a grater with a small hole to grate approximately 1 tsp). Mix in 1 tablespoon hot water at a moment until the sauce becomes thin enough that it can be drizzled. Place it aside.

Cut the garlic into pieces, and then grate one teaspoon more fresh ginger. The cooking oil is heated in a large pot over moderate heat. Add the ginger and garlic into the skillet and cook for approximately one minute or until the garlic softens. Add the pork, and cook until the pork has cooked and is crumbled (about 5 minutes).

While the pork cooks, clean the mushrooms, then chop them into pieces. When the pork is cooked to your liking, add the chopped mushrooms and continue to cook them until they have softened and released all of their water (about 5 minutes).

While the mushrooms cook, peel the carrot and shred it with a large holed cheese grated. Finely chop the bell pepper red. After the mushrooms have been boiled down, add the shredded carrot as well as diced bell pepper, hoisin sauce ses,ame oil, and soy sauce to the skillet. Mix and simmer until the dish is coated with sauce and is heated to the desired temperature. (The quantity of seasoning you need can vary based on the hoisin sauce you use. Begin with 1 Tbsp, then increase it to your liking).

To make the bowls, start with a cup of cooked rice. Add 1/4 to 1 cup of vegetable and meat mixture. Sprinkle some sliced green onions over the top. Drizzle 2 to 3 tablespoons of the peanut sauce that is spicy over the entire dish. Then, sprinkle approximately one tablespoon of the chopped peanuts.