Spicy Thai Ground Turkey

So how about a new recipe? I haven't shared one in a while so I wanted to make sure it was a good one. This is a new creation of mine and I think it's pretty darn delicious - if I do say so myself.

I always get asked for recipe ideas for ground meat. People seem to hit a creative dead-end after hamburgers, meatballs and meatloaf. This recipe is a great alternative full of fantastic Thai flavours. I like to use extra-lean ground turkey but ground beef or pork would also be delicious. I make this recipe spicy and sweet, but you can adjust it to your tastes. Serve it with steamed rice or Asian noodles (I like Udon), but my favourite way is as a filling for lettuce wraps.

Also, as some of you may know, I've been working on my food photography and I think I'm actually making some progress. The photo with this recipe is the actual dish I made this evening - no fancy props, natural lighting and NO Photo-Shop.

Hope you give it a try and let me know how it turns out. Your comments are much appreciated.


Spicy Thai Ground Turkey


Ingredients

2 tbsp Low Sodium Soy Sauce
2 tbsp Fish Sauce
1 tbsp Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice
3 tbsp Granulated Sugar
1-2 tsp Chili Garlic Sauce
2 tsp Sesame Oil
2 tbsp Water

1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 Thai Red Chili, ribs & seeds removed, julienned
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 tsp Fresh Grated Ginger
1 lb Extra-Lean Ground Turkey, Beef or Pork
1 Large Onion, julienned
1-2 Carrots, julienned
1 c Cilantro Leaves

Method

• In a small measuring cup, combine the first 7 ingredients and stir well. Set aside.
• In a large skillet or sauté pan, heat oil over med-hi heat. Add chili, garlic and ginger to pan and cook for approximately 30 seconds. Add in ground meat, breaking it up with a spoon. Stir-fry until it is crumbly, completely cooked through and well browned. Add in carrots and onions, toss to combine.
• Pour sauce into skillet around the outside of the ground meat mixture. Gently stir to combine. As sauce boils and reduces it will glaze the meat mixture. Continue to cook until almost all the liquid has either evaporated or been absorbed and meat is glossy.
• Serve over steamed rice, noodles or large, washed lettuce leaves. Garnish with lots of fresh Cilantro leaves.

Serves 4

© 2010 Elise Burton
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