Ground Turkey Asian Lettuce Wraps

This is my "go-to" recipe for this dish.  I make a pretty good dipping sauce for lettuce wraps. I think that's the highlight of the dish.   The filling is flexible, use what you're feeling for when you make it...

• 1 lb. of extra-lean ground turkey, fried in a tbsp of avocado oil
• 1 cup Napa cabbage, chopped in fine strips
• 1 can (227 ml) of water chestnuts, chopped finely
• 200 grams bean sprouts, washed
• Butter lettuce, for the serving vessel cups.  I used two leaves per cup as I piled mine high
• 1 bunch of green onions, sliced
• 1 cup of roasted, salted pistachios, slightly crushed with a mallet
• 1 yellow bell pepper, insides removed and sliced into thin strips
• Fresh Thai basil, to taste, torn in small pieces and for garnish
• Fresh Cilantro, to taste, chopped coarsely
• Few drops/shakes of "Maggi" seasoning
• 1 teaspoon of Szechuan pepper powder
• French's onions, for garnish and crunch
• Lime wedges

DIP for Two:

• 1 clove garlic, minced (I used a press)
• Half teaspoon of toasted sesame oil
• Half inch of fresh ginger, grated on a microplane
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce (this gives the sweetness but a lot of sodium too)
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce (I like Kimlan)
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar, sometimes I use Chinese black vinegar or both.  I added a little splash of black too tonight
• 1 heaping tablespoon "Sambal Oelek", or to taste. We like it spicy.  You can use whatever hot sauce you like...

I made the dip first (it tasted Mmmm).  I poured it into two ramekins and let it sit while I put the rest of dinner together.  This let the garlic and ginger bloom and melded the taste of it.

I browned the turkey and when done, seasoned with Maggi and Szechaun pepper.

That gave the turkey some great flavor and took away the anemic coloring of it, as it was pretty pale and white looking before that - very unattractive.  It tasted good now, too.  Beware though, Maggi is "through the roof" high in sodium, so use it sparingly.

I chopped all the veggies except the bean sprouts, and combined it with the turkey.  I stirred in the herbs, sprouts and nuts last.

I cut the stem off the lettuce, separated the leaves and washed the cups.  It was time to serve.  I piled a couple of scoops into the cups and topped with some french-fried onions.  I put a spoon out with the sauce, as it's not easy to dip the cup in without losing the filling.  The spoon lets you eat all the random stuff that falls out too.

Above, I forgot the fried onions on mine, but my son got them.  Anyway, WOW, sooooo freakin' great!!!!  Everything was perfect.  So much texture, crispness, flavor and freshness.  💖😋👍 The pistachios were a first, and a real winner in here.  Fantastic meal.  P.S.  Use the lime...it brightens it even higher and the fresh herbs just steal the show, in my opinion.  If you minus the sodium, it was pretty healthy as well.