One of my favorite things to have at my Chinese New Year party is chicken lettuce wraps.
I first had them at a little place in Chinatown called Vo's Hot Pot (now since closed).
I hadn't been able to find them anywhere until I went to this chain Chinese restaurant in Phoenix.
They were pretty good but I decided I would try to sort of "back engineer" the ones I had a Vo's.
I love Chinese New Year with the lion dances, kung fu demonstrations, and the firecrackers.
If you have never had a chance to be in a Chinatown for the lunar new year, you really owe it to yourself to seek one out.
The food is always the best but be sure to wear ear plugs, the fireworks can be quite a din.
I use chicken in this recipe but you could use beef, pork, or even duck if you wanted to, with great results.
Chop two chicken breasts into slices or cubes and fry in a little peanut (or canola) oil until almost cooked through.
Then add two cloves of garlic minced finely and stir.
Cut two cans of water chestnuts and 8-10 button mushrooms into dices and add to the chicken until chicken is done.
Then mix into the chicken about one third of a cup of hoisin sauce and three tablespoons of soy sauce.
Just before service put in some chopped scallions and some finely chopped cilantro.
Fork some of the mixture into bid lettuce cups and serve your delicious chicken lettuce wraps for Chinese New Year.