There is a particular kind of generosity that feels completely natural in rural Andalucía, and Luis demonstrated it perfectly yesterday evening.

I was sitting outside with Issy, watching the light change over the hills, when he appeared with two freshly picked lettuces tucked under one arm and a small bottle of olive oil in his hand. "Lechuga ecológica… ecológica…" he said, and then, translating for me with a smile, "organic, organic." Both the lettuces and the oil were from his farm, right here where Florie is parked. He handed them over as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world, which, in his world, I suppose it is.

I thanked him, put the lettuces in the fridge, and started thinking about what to do with them. These spicy pork lettuce wraps were the answer.

I had 200g of pork mince. I had a large Spanish spring onion — they grow them enormously here; one does the work of four — a fresh red chilli, cherry tomatoes, a pepino, and a fridge full of other bits and pieces. In the storecupboard: soy sauce, fish sauce, Lea & Perrins, honey, and a jar of my own Mango Ember fermented hot sauce. Luis's lechuga ecológica, it turned out, had arrived at exactly the right moment.

Spicy, sticky pork. Fresh crunch from the pepino. Heat from the chilli and the mango hot sauce. And two whole heads of organic lettuce doing exactly what they were born to do.

Spicy Pork Lettuce Wraps – The Van Kitchen Version

Serves 1 | Van kitchen friendly

Ingredients

• 200g pork mince
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2–3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 1 large Spanish spring onion, white and green parts separated, sliced
• 1 fresh red chilli, finely sliced
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• 4–5 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp Lea & Perrins
• 1 tsp honey
• 1–2 tsp Mango Ember fermented hot sauce
• Juice of ½ lime

To serve

• Lettuce leaves (lechuga ecológica — and if Luis has just handed you two whole heads, you have more than enough)
• ¼ pepino, finely diced or cut into thin batons
• Spring onion greens, sliced
• Extra Mango Ember and lime wedges on the side

Method

Heat the olive oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and the white part of the spring onion and let them soften for a minute.

Add the pork mince and break it up well. Keep it moving — you want it cooked through and starting to catch at the edges, not steamed. This takes 6–8 minutes.

Add the chilli and ground ginger and stir through for 30 seconds.

Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, Lea & Perrins, and honey. Stir well and let everything bubble and reduce for 2 minutes — the sauce should cling to the meat, not pool in the pan.

Add the cherry tomatoes and cook for another minute until they just begin to soften.

Take off the heat. Squeeze in the lime juice and stir in the Mango Ember hot sauce. Taste — adjust with more lime, honey, or hot sauce as you see fit.

To assemble

Lay the lettuce leaves out like cups. Spoon the pork filling in and top with the pepino, spring onion greens, and an extra hit of Mango Ember if you want the heat.

These don't wait.

If you want to stretch this further, a small portion of brown rice alongside works well.

A Note on the Hot Sauce

The Mango Ember is my own – fermented and fruity, with a slow-building heat that works beautifully with pork. You'll find the recipe here. A teaspoon of sriracha or your favourite chilli sauce will stand in, but the mango brings something the others don't.

This spicy pork lettuce wraps recipe is featured in my Campervan Cooking Hub, a collection of recipes cooked for real in the van — one pan, two rings, and whatever the road provides.

Find more recipes and food adventures here.

Wonky park-ups, proper adventures, genuine freedom — The Flexible Chef