Thai Lettuce (Cabbage) Wraps (aka Nam Sod)

A GREAT little dish full of flavor for those going no-carb or paleo-esque. (I know there's paleo-friendly fish sauce out there, but I haven't looked THAT hard for it.)

INGREDIENTS

- 1 lb ground meat (it's traditionally made with pork, but I made this with ground chicken since I'm TRYING to cut back)

- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro

- 2 tbsp chopped mint

- 3 tbsp fish sauce

- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice

- dash of sugar

- chopped fresh chili pepper (I use Thai peppers bc they're particularly hot and flavorful, but a jalapeño will work just as well)

- fried shallots (I get these ready-made from the Asian grocery store)

- 1 head of cabbage (or lettuce if you prefer, but I like the crunchiness and slight sweetness of cabbage)

1) Brown the meat in a pan, cooking it the way you would taco meat.

2) Before it's completely done, add in chopped cilantro and mint, fish sauce and lime juice. (Leave some fresh cilantro and mint to the side for garnishing later!)

3) Allow the meat to cook in the fish sauce and lime juice so that it marries the ingredients. 

4) Add a dash of sugar to your liking. Sometimes the fish sauce and lime juice can come out quite tart, so I usually add just a tad bit of sugar to balance it out.

5) Add in chopped chili pepper and cook another minute.

6) Separate the cabbage leaves.

7) Spoon meat into cabbage leaf and garnish with some of hat leftover fresh cilantro and mint, and fried shallots. 

8) Eat!