Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps Larb Gai

Year two. I am still here, still typing with one finger, still feeding people, still standing in this kitchen at hours that make no sense for a woman my age. The azaleas are blooming again — pink and white and that impossible fuchsia — and the garden is in the ground, and the marsh smells like salt and new beginnings, and I thought: Lord, we get to do this again. Another spring. Another year. Another chance to put food on a plate and love on a table and hope in a garden bed. I do not take that for granted. I have lost too many people to take spring for granted.

Marcus proposed to Tasha. I am allowed to know now because it happened Saturday and Tasha said yes and Marcus called me at seven-thirty in the morning, which is how I know he was nervous — that boy never calls before noon unless something has happened. He said, "Grandma, she said yes." I said, "Of course she said yes, Marcus. That girl has been eating my sweet potato pie since Thanksgiving. She's invested." He laughed. I cried. Earl heard the commotion from his recliner and said, "What happened?" I said, "Marcus is getting married." Earl said, "It's about time," which from Earl is a five-minute speech of approval.

The ring is pretty — Marcus showed me a picture on the phone, which Denise had to enlarge because I can't see anything smaller than a pecan on that screen. It's a simple diamond, nothing flashy, which tells me Tasha picked it, because Marcus would have bought something ridiculous if left to his own devices. That boy has Earl Jr.'s taste, which means expensive and loud. Tasha has sense. This is a good match.

At school, we're back from spring break and the children are sun-drunk, which is what I call the state they come back in — tan and restless and not ready to be indoors. I made chicken salad sandwiches on Monday because light food for sluggish children is a kindness. I added grapes and pecans, which is not standard cafeteria fare, but I have never been standard and the county can write me up again if they want. The children ate them without complaint, which is the highest praise a school lunch can receive.

The tomato seedlings are in the ground and reaching. The peppers are planted. The okra seeds went in this weekend. Earl's garden is alive again, which means Earl is alive again too — he perks up in spring the way everything does, the way the whole Lowcountry shakes off winter and remembers what it's for. He stood in the garden Saturday and pointed at where I should put the basil, and I put it where he pointed because sometimes a wife's job is to let her husband believe he's in charge of the basil.

Now go on and feed somebody.

The same spirit that had me adding grapes and pecans to Monday’s chicken salad sandwiches — that little insistence on doing something bright when the season demands it — is exactly what drew me to these Thai chicken lettuce wraps. Spring is not the time for heavy food or heavy hearts, and with Marcus’s news still ringing in my chest and the azaleas still showing off outside my window, I wanted something that tasted like joy looks: fresh and a little unexpected and over before you realize you’ve had too much of a good thing. These wraps are that. Make them for somebody you love.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 lb ground chicken
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
1 shallot, thinly sliced
2 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, roughly torn
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly torn
2 tablespoons toasted rice powder (see instructions)
1 head butter lettuce or iceberg, leaves separated
Sliced cucumber and fresh chilies for serving, optional

Instructions

Make the toasted rice powder. Add 2 tablespoons uncooked jasmine rice to a dry skillet over medium heat. Toast, stirring frequently, for 4—5 minutes until golden and fragrant. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool, then grind to a coarse powder in a mortar or spice grinder. Set aside.
Cook the chicken. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground chicken and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, for 6—8 minutes until cooked through with no pink remaining. Remove from heat.
Season the meat. While the chicken is still warm, stir in the lime juice, fish sauce, and sugar. Taste and adjust seasoning — it should be bright, savory, and just a little spicy.
Add the aromatics. Stir in the shallot, green onions, toasted rice powder, and red pepper flakes. Fold in the mint and cilantro just before serving so the herbs stay fresh and lively.
Assemble the wraps. Spoon the warm chicken mixture into individual lettuce cups. Top with sliced cucumber and fresh chilies if desired. Serve immediately while the chicken is still warm and the lettuce is still crisp.

Nutrition (per serving)

Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps Larb Gai — Light and Bright for Spring’s Best Days