Keto Bahn Mi Lettuce Cups

⏲ ~22 min total · prep 15 · cook 7 · 4 servings

By the KFI Test Kitchen · Tested & approved by Jason Lieu, KFI recipe editor

Published Sep 15, 2026 · Updated Sep 15, 2026

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground pork
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp fish sauce
• 1/2 cup daikon radish, cut into fine matchsticks
• 1/4 cup carrot, cut into fine matchsticks
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tsp sambal oelek
• 8 butter lettuce leaves, rinsed and patted very dry
• 1/2 Persian cucumber, shaved into ribbons
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Instructions

1. Stir the daikon and carrot matchsticks with the rice vinegar and a big pinch of salt in a small bowl; set aside to quick-pickle, tossing once.
2. Crumble the ground pork into a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat and cook 6-8 minutes, breaking it up with a spatula, until no pink remains and the crusted bits underneath are deep brown.
3. Stir in the garlic and fish sauce and cook 30 seconds more, until fragrant and the pork glistens; pull the skillet off the heat.
4. Stir the mayonnaise and sambal oelek together in a small bowl until streaky orange.
5. Drain the pickled vegetables through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the pickling liquid.
6. Spoon the hot pork into the lettuce leaves, then top with pickled daikon-carrot, cucumber ribbons, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.

Why this recipe works

• The pickle makes itself Daikon and carrot matchsticks sit in rice vinegar while the pork browns. Six to eight minutes is enough to take the raw edge off, which is the whole point of a quick pickle.
• Crusted pork, brown bits and all The pork cooks long enough to crust against the pan. Those deep brown bits under the crumble are where the flavor hides in a fourteen-minute dinner.
• Butter lettuce holds the line Cups of butter lettuce stay pliable and cool against the hot pork. Patted very dry, they carry the filling without wilting on the plate.

Tips for making this recipe well

Dry the leaves like you mean it

Water on lettuce makes filling slide straight out the bottom. Pat each leaf, and build on a towel if you're staging them.

Drain the pickle before it meets the pork

Pour the matchsticks through a fine-mesh sieve and leave the liquid behind. Wet vegetables on hot pork turn the whole cup soupy.

Fish sauce goes last

Stir it in with the garlic for the final thirty seconds, then off the heat. Fish sauce cooks long and turns the pan bitter.

Stir the sambal mayo to streaks

Two teaspoons into the mayo makes a streaky orange sauce. Add more sambal if the table skews brave.

Build at the table

Set out the pork, pickles, cucumber ribbons, cilantro, and lime, and let everyone stack their own. The leaves stay crisp and nobody's cup goes soggy waiting.

Serving suggestions

Two or three cups per person, with lime wedges and the sambal mayo in a small bowl for drizzling. At 1.3g net carbs per serving, this is the full bahn mi experience minus the roll, and nobody will ask where the bread went. Put napkins on the table. These are meant to be eaten with elbows planted, and the first cup always falls apart. That's part of the deal.

Storage and meal prep

Keep the components separate and this dinner waits for you. The cooked pork keeps 3 to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge; reheat it in a hot skillet to bring the crust back. The pickled matchsticks hold 3 to 4 days refrigerated in their vinegar, drained only at serving. The sambal mayo keeps alongside in a sealed jar. Wash and dry the lettuce the day you eat, and build fresh.

Variations worth trying

• Ground chicken or turkey Both crumble and crust the same way in the same pan time. Fish sauce does the seasoning work either way.
• Jicama for daikon Cut it into the same fine matchsticks and pickle it alongside the carrot. The crunch is even louder.
• Bowl direction Skip the leaves and pile everything over cauliflower rice. Same dinner, fork instead of hands.

Frequently asked questions

Can I pickle the vegetables longer?

Yes, they can sit in the vinegar for hours in the fridge. They soften and round out; past a day they lose the snap that makes them worth the bowl.

No daikon at my store. Now what?

Jicama or extra carrot both work as matchsticks. The pickle does the heavy lifting, so keep the rice vinegar ratio the same.

How spicy is sambal oelek?

At two teaspoons, the mayo carries a mild-to-medium warmth that most tables handle. Stir in a third of a teaspoon at a time if your crowd leans toward heat.

Can I cook the pork ahead?

Yes, up to 3 to 4 days ahead, refrigerated in a sealed container. Re-crisp it in a hot skillet; the microwave leaves it gray and soft.

Why did my lettuce cups collapse?

Wet leaves, wet pickles, or both. Dry the leaves well, drain the matchsticks, and the cup holds its shape to the end.

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