The Hard Rock Hotel’s hip Chinese restaurant stays edgy by incorporating pan-Asian flavors into shareable small plates. So when you go to Fú, you’ll see high-stakes gamblers taking a break from the Dragon Salon tables to slurp Hong Kong-style noodle soup, but you’ll also find friends snacking on teriyaki-glazed beef skewers and hearty pork buns before heading off to catch a concert.
Fú’s top appetizer, spicy Thai-style minced chicken in crisp, cool lettuce cups, is easy enough to make at home, so have at it.
Fú Hard Rock Hotel, 522-8188. Sunday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m.; Friday & Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-midnight.
Thai Basil Minced Chicken Lettuce Cups
(serves four)
Ingredients:
½ lb. ground chicken
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 tbsp. fish sauce
4 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. water
2 tsp. diced Thai chili
2 tbsp. minced garlic
4 tbsp. minced Thai basil
6 lettuce cups (iceberg or butter lettuce)
Method: Heat wok or sauté pan with oil over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until it’s light brown. Add chicken and sauté for 5 minutes. Add fish sauce, water, sugar and chili and continue cooking for five minutes. Stir in basil right before spooning mixture into lettuce cups to serve.
