This is based off a recipe I found online at the Food Network website.  I was displeased with the amount of heat and heaviness of the beef, so I’ve decided to doctor up Ms Anderson’s creation to be lighter and more tasteful.  You can view the original recipe here.

Serves 4-6.

1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 pounds ground chicken
1, 3″ piece of ginger, peeled and grated into a bowl
5 scallions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated or very finely minced
4 tbsp good soy sauce
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
3 tbsp miso paste, whisked together with 1 tbsp of mirin*
1 tbsp sake
1/2 cup peanuts or cashews, roughly chopped
1 to 2 heads Boston lettuce, leaves separated

Combine ginger, scallions, garlic, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, and miso paste mixture in a bowl and whisk until the sauce comes together.  Set aside.

Brown the meat over medium-high heat until cooked through.  Drain off any excess oil, raise the temperature to high, and add sauce.  Cook for one minute, tossing contents of the pan frequently, until the chicken is coated and glossy and the sauce is not longer runny.  Add 1 tbsp sake and cook for 30 seconds more.  Remove from heat and stir in nuts.

Add a spoonful of the meat mixture to a lettuce leaf, wrap, and devour.

*If you don’t have miso paste, substitute the miso/mirin combination with 1/2 cup of hoisin sauce, which is available in the Asian section of pretty much every supermarket.