Lettuce wraps with chilli sauce recipe

Ingredients

• 2 heads of Baby Gem lettuce
• handful of fresh coriander/cilantro
• 2–3 spring onions/scallions
• 2 large carrots
• 1 pomegranate

• 1–2 fresh chillies/chiles, to taste
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ cup (125 ml) rice vinegar
• 2 big teaspoons stevia
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon cornflour/cornstarch
• spice grinder (optional)

1. Tear 10–12 larger leaves off the Baby Gem lettuce – these will become your ‘wraps’. Wash and arrange on a plate.
2. To assemble the filling, shred the remaining lettuce as finely as you can. Do the same with the coriander/cilantro and spring onions/scallions, and place all three in a large bowl. Peel the carrots into ribbons and add to the bowl.
3. For the pomegranate, cut the fruit in half and place in a bowl of cold water. Then tear the flesh and separate the seeds by hand. The seeds will sink to the bottom of the bowl, and the white flesh will float. Pour away the water and flesh so that you are left with the seeds. Add the seeds to the vegetables and mix well. Use a spoon to fill the lettuce wraps with the mixture.
4. For the sweet chilli sauce, using a spice grinder, grind the chillies to a paste. If you don’t have one of these, slice the chillies/chiles as thinly as possible. Put the chillies, garlic, onion powder, rice vinegar, 125 ml/½ cup water, the stevia and salt in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 8–10 minutes until reduced.
5. Meanwhile, put the cornflour/cornstarch in a small bowl with 2 tablespoons water and stir until combined. Turn the heat down to low and slowly stir in the cornflour/cornstarch mixture until the sauce has thickened.
6. To serve, eat the lettuce wraps by hand, dipping them into the sweet chilli sauce as you go!