Mini Thai Pork Pitas

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 10 mins

Difficulty: Intermediate

Servings: 8 Servings

A few years ago, a recipe in a food magazine caught my eye. The recipe involved stuffing pita bread with a thin layer of seasoned ground lamb, then grilling the whole thing until the outside was crispy and the inside stayed nice and juicy. It was an outrageously delicious and fun idea, a bit like hamburger meets pizza pocket. I liked this idea so much I wanted to make it again, but this time with Thai flavors on cute little mini pitas!

Ingredients

1 large egg
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons fish sauce
Finely grated zest of 1 lime
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1 pound ground pork
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
15 mini pita breads (about 2 1/2 inches in diameter)
Butter lettuce leaves
Fresh mint leaves
Fresh cilantro
Lime wedges

Instructions

Beat the egg in a large bowl. Add the shallots, cilantro, mint, fish sauce, garlic, lime zest and juice, and salt and stir to combine. Add the pork and mix with your hands until just combined (do not overmix or the meat will be tough).
Divide the mixture over the pitas, about 2 tablespoons per pita. Gently press the meat mixture into an even layer that covers most of each pita.
(See Recipe Note below if you want to grill these pitas instead.) Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add half of the patties meat-side down and cook until dark golden-brown, 4 to 5 minutes. (The pitas will puff up.) Carefully flip the patties and cook until the pitas are golden-brown and the patties are cooked through, about 2 minutes more.
Remove the patties to a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack or a paper towel-lined baking sheet or plate. Repeat with frying the remaining patties.
To serve, top the patties with mint and cilantro and wrap each one in lettuce leaves to eat. Serve with lime wedges.