My Mother's Lettuce Packages

Cut green onions into pea-sized pieces. Drain and
chop coarsely the smoked clams and water chestnuts.
Detach lettuce leaves from core, wash and dry them
gently. Arrange lettuce leaves around the edge of a
large platter.

Heat oil in wok until it is about to smoke. Tear bean
thread noodles apart and cut with scissors into small
portions. Carefully put a portion of the noodles into
the hot oil. (They will expand dramatically!) As soon
as they expand, turn them over and cook the other side
briefly. Drain them and remove to a bowl lined with
several layers of paper towels. Cook the remaining
noodles in the same way. Drain them very well with
paper towels and then crunch them and put them into
the center of the serving platter, surrounded by the
lettuce leaves.

Put the walnuts into a strainer and immerse them into
the hot oil. They will brown very quickly. Be careful
they do not burn. Remove them to a paper towel, drain
well and chop into coarse pieces.

Remove all but 2 T of oil from the wok. Saute the
minced garlic and chopped green onions until lightly
browned. Add the ground pork and saute until it loses
its pink color and starts to brown. Use a large spoon
to remove as much grease as possible from the pork
mixture.

Add the chopped smoked clams, chopped water chestnuts
and chopped lettuce to the pork mixture. Mix well.

Combine the soy sauce, cayenne, oyster sauce, sherry,
sugar and sesame oil; stir into the cooking mixture
and cook for two minutes, stirring constantly. Remix
the cornstarch and water and add to the middle of the
wok. Stir constantly, blending other ingredients into
cornstarch mixture and simmer three more minutes.

Pour the cooked dish on top of the bean thread needles
on the serving platter. Sprinkle the walnut pieces on
top and serve at once. To eat: Place a lettuce leaf on
your plate. Put a spoonful of the pork mixture and
noodles in the middle of the leaf. Fold the leaf up
and eat the package like a bared. Serves 12 as part