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pork lettuce wraps with vegetables

Pork Tenderloin Lettuce Wrap with Ginger Lime Dressing

These lettuce wraps bring together what I love about Vietnamese flavors, done for the home kitchen. You start by making a gingery marinade for the pork that doubles as a dressing for the salad. The tenderloin, a particularly lean cut, cooks up quickly and very tender. Chicken or flank steak would work equally well here.

Course Main Course
Cuisine Vietnamese
Keyword pork lettuce wraps
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 4
Author Katie Morford

Ingredients

Marinade/Dressing

  • 1/2 cup lime juice (4 to 5 limes)
  • 1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon neutral flavored oil, such as canola or avocado
  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce or other favorite hot sauce (adjust based on how spicy you want it)
  • 1 large clove garlic, grated on a microplane or minced
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger

Pork and Wrap Fixings

  • 1 pound pork tenderloin
  • 1 tablespoon canola or other neutral oil
  • 1 1/2 cups mung bean sprouts
  • 1 cup shredded carrots
  • 1/2 English cucumber, cut into 1/4-inch-thick spears
  • 1/4 cup roasted, salted peanuts
  • 1/3 bunch fresh cilantro (chopped or in sprigs)
  • Leaves from 1 large head butter lettuce or 1 head Romaine lettuce

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the Marinade/Dressing ingredients (lime juice, rice vinegar, fish sauce, honey, oil, srirach, garlic, and ginger. Put the pork tenderloin in a medium bowl and pour half the marinade over it. Marinate for 1 hour, turning hte pork in the marinade from time to time. Note: You can marinate the pork in the fridge for up to 8 hours. Reserve the remaining Marinade /Dressing for serving.

  2. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large, heavy skillet (I use cast iron) over medium-high. Remove the pork from the marinade, allowing the juices to drip off. Lay the pork in the skillet and cook until it's deeply browned on all sides and the center of the meat is pale pink and registers 145 degrees on an instant read thermometer, about 20 to 25 minutes. 

  3. Remove the pork from from the pan and rest for 10 minutes. The internal temperature of the pork will rise as it sits.

  4. While the meat cooks, arrange the bean sprouts, carrots, cucumbers, peanuts, cilantro, and lettuce on a serving platter.

  5. Cut the meat in half lengthwise and then crosswise into thin slices. Set out the pork with the rest of the wrap fixings, with the remaining dressing on the side.

  6. To assemble, layer the pork, sprouts, carrots, cucumbers, peanuts, and cilantro on the lettuce leaves. Spoon a little dressing over the top.