Doc Chey’s Noodle House, 1424 N. Highland Ave., Atlanta. 404-888-0777, www.doccheys.com, with two other metro Atlanta locations.
Q: Please, please, please, I beg of you. Get this recipe for me: chicken lettuce wraps from Doc Chey’s Noodle House. I absolutely love this dish. It’s awesome. I’m trying to lose weight, and if I can learn to make this, I think it will really help. — Michael Moody, Marietta
A: Yum. Chicken and lots of great vegetables flavored with a spicy Asian sauce and served in crunchy napa cabbage or lettuce leaves. What’s not to love? Rich Chey sent us this recipe along with a note that at Doc Chey’s, these wraps are served with crispy rice sticks made by immersing uncooked rice vermicelli in hot oil until the vermicelli puffs up like Styrofoam. We agreed with his assessment that these would be too messy to make at home.
Just like all the other dishes at Doc Chey’s, if you order this one, they’ll make it for you from scratch. Making this at home means you’ll have to do a little prep ahead of time, like cooking the chicken and making the sauce, although you could substitute the meat from a rotisserie chicken if you were short on time. There’s no substitute for the spicy bean sauce, but that goes together in minutes. Any leftover sauce will be great in your next stir-fry. At Doc Chey’s, the chefs use Koon Chun brand black bean sauce. It’s labeled “ground bean sauce, ” and I found it at the Buford Highway Farmers Market.
Doc Chey’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup shelled edamame
1/4 cup sliced water chestnuts
1 cup cooked chicken, breast or thigh as you prefer
1/4 cup Spicy Bean Sauce (see recipe)
Napa cabbage or iceberg lettuce leaves, for serving
Heat a wok or skillet. When hot, add oil, then quickly add carrots, green onions, edamame and water chestnuts. Stir and cook until carrots soften slightly, about 2 minutes. Add chicken and bean sauce and continue to cook until ingredients are hot, about 30 seconds. Serve on napa cabbage or iceberg lettuce leaves. Makes 1 serving.
Per serving: 365 calories (percent of calories from fat, 36), 27 grams protein, 33 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams fiber, 15 grams fat (2 grams saturated), 49 milligrams cholesterol, 502 milligrams sodium.
Spicy Bean Sauce
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup Chinese black bean sauce
3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
3 tablespoons sambol oelek chili paste
In a small bowl, combine water and sugar. Mix until sugar is dissolved, then add bean sauce, sesame oil and sambol. Stir to combine thoroughly and transfer to a refrigerator container. Will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Makes 2 cups.
Per 1/4 cup: 102 calories (percent of calories from fat, 56), 1 gram protein, 11 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 7 grams fat (1 gram saturated), no cholesterol, 411 milligrams sodium.
