AWESOME vegetarian lettuce wraps | RecipeTin Eats

The meat-free model of Chinese language san choy bow. You by no means knew vegetarian lettuce wraps could possibly be so scrumptious! Crumbled tofu makes the filling meaty whereas greens add beautiful texture, smothered in a shiny, savoury sauce. Wholesome meals was by no means so scrumptious. And fascinating. And simple. {Simply 245 cal for a beneficiant serving}

Vegetarian lettuce wraps (san choy bow)

At present’s recipe is a meat-free model of the Chinese language restaurant favorite san choy bow which is a lettuce wrap with a pork filling.

I hate that I used the phrase “superior” for a recipe title (in caps! ????) however I couldn’t consider one other solution to seize your consideration for these lettuce wraps. A vegetarian one, no much less, made with a number of vegetable and tofu.

So in the event you’re studying this, maybe the considerably infantile title I’ve bestowed upon these lettuce wraps labored! As a result of they’re Superior – with a capital A. Not simply “okay”, not simply “good”. That doesn’t make the lower to be shared on my web site. They. Are. AWESOME!

(I would like a brand new phrase. My highschool English trainer can be horrified if she learn this publish).

Proper, let me go straight to an up-close-and-personal of this tofu and vegetable filling that’s the star of at this time’s present. Strive telling me this doesn’t look scrumptious!

Tofu and vegetable filling for Vegetarian lettuce wraps - san choy bow

And earlier than it was that, it was this:

Tofu crumbled up like mince (that’s floor meat, to you people within the States). Far more efficient for flavour absorption than dicing (plus, simpler); then
Sauced with san choy bow sauce that stains the tofu an attractive mahogany color and coats every part in a shiny savoury sauce.

Crumbling firm tofu for Vegetarian lettuce wraps - san choy bow — Crumbling agency tofu into “mince”

Making the filling for Vegetarian lettuce wraps - san choy bow — Crumbling agency tofu into “mince”

Able to see learn how to make these vegetarian lettuce wraps?? Let’s do that!

What you want for Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps

Right here’s what you want:

The filling

Ingredients in Vegetarian lettuce wraps - san choy bow

Agency or extra-firm tofu – Use a agency or additional agency tofu, not silken tofu. It must be agency sufficient so you possibly can crumble it like mince / floor meat. Tub label offers you clues – it will likely be labelled as such. ???? Additionally, give it a squeeze. It ought to really feel like gentle rubber, reasonably than a really fragile jelly (silken tofu).
Greens – Inexperienced beans, carrot and mushrooms are the combination I’m utilizing at this time. Love the feel the inexperienced beans and carrots give to the filling, and the savouriness the mushrooms deliver.

Having mentioned that, be happy to make use of what you’ve bought! Any sauté-able greens will work advantageous.
Garlic and onion – Aromatics. Don’t skip these – they develop into extra necessary in vegetarian dishes!

San choy bow sauce for filling

The sauce used for these vegetarian lettuce wraps is identical because the one I exploit for my traditional pork san choy bow. It’s shiny and savoury, and every ingredient contributes to the flavour so please don’t skip any. This sauce, it might probably make something style superb – even tofu! (There, I mentioned it, go forward and name me immature ????).

Cornflour / cornstarch – This makes the sauce shiny and thickens it so it coats the filling elements fantastically.
Oyster sauce – An entire lot of flavour, jammed into one bottle! Because the title suggests, the sauce is made with oysters – not that you’d ever decide it. It simply tastes savoury and candy.

Options – Vegetarian choices accessible lately, even at giant grocery shops in Australia. Else, Hoisin works nice (although you get a 5 spice flavour which is beautiful, simply totally different!)
Mild soy sauce gives salt however doesn’t stain issues a brown color and has a gentle soy flavour. Could be substituted with all objective soy sauce however not darkish soy sauce (too intense). Extra on totally different soy sauces right here.
Darkish soy has intense color (that is what makes the sauce and stains the tofu a brown color) and way more intense soy flavour. It may be substituted with extra mild or all-purpose soy sauce however the sauce flavour will likely be extra gentle, and the tofu gained’t go brown.
Chinese language cooking wine (“Shaoxing wine”) is a necessary ingredient for making really “restaurant normal” Chinese language dishes. It provides depth of flavour and complexity into sauces. Extra information on Chinese language cooking wine right here.

Substitute with Mirin, cooking sake or dry sherry. Non alcoholic sub – use 1/2 cup (125 ml) low sodium rooster broth/inventory as a substitute of water + Chinese language cooking wine.
Sesame oil (toasted) – For beautiful sesame flavour within the dish. Use toasted (brown oil) not un-toasted (yellow oil) because it has stronger sesame flavour. For fellow Aussies, toasted is the usual sesame oil offered in grocery shops. Un-toasted is tougher to search out (usually in well being meals shops).

The lettuce wraps & toppings

Filling sorted, now right here’s what it is advisable to make the wrap. The peanuts and sriracha or different chilli paste/sauce is extremely, extremely really helpful for an amazing lettuce wrap!

Lettuce leaves – Chinese language san choy bow lettuce wraps served at eating places right here in Australia use iceberg lettuce. At fancy locations, they lower into neat rounds!

However truthfully, any lettuce leaves the place filling could be bundled inside, or have a pure cup form works advantageous. Crispy (cos / romaine lettuce) or gentle, pliable leaves (like butter lettuce).
Sriracha or different chilli sauce – Extremely really helpful. It simply works so effectively so as to add a success of spiciness to the freshness of the vegetable filling!
Peanuts – For an genuine san choy bow expertise, chopped peanuts can also be extremely really helpful!
Inexperienced onion – Sprinkle of recent. Not as extremely really helpful, however it may be skipped in the event you don’t have it.

How you can make vegetarian lettuce wraps

How to make Vegetarian lettuce wraps - san choy bow

Combine the sauce elements in a small bowl on this order: cornflour/cornstarch and water first till lump free, then combine in every part else. Why? As a result of it’s simpler to dissolve cornflour in much less liquid than an excessive amount of liquid.
Crumble tofu – Drain tofu. Lower into 5mm/0.2″ slices then use your fingers to crumble right into a mince. It is going to crumble with little effort. Don’t make the crumbs too advantageous, you possibly can all the time break the tofu up extra when cooking – similar to cooking mince/floor meat!

No have to press the tofu – There’s no have to press water out of the tofu utilizing weights. The water contained within the tofu prevents it from being too dry.
Filling – Utilizing a big non stick pan, warmth the oil over excessive warmth then cook dinner the onion, garlic and carrot for simply 1 minute. Add inexperienced beans and mushrooms then cook dinner for two minutes. The inexperienced beans ought to nonetheless be agency. That is good! The feel the inexperienced beans add to the filling is very nice.
Add tofu and simply toss by means of. Tofu doesn’t have to be cooked to eat it so for this recipe we simply have to heat it by means of.

Sauce it! Pour within the sauce then let it come to a simmer. Because it heats up, the cornflour within the sauce will make it thicken. Stir for 1 minute or till it turns into thick and shiny so it coats the combination properly. See the photograph in step 6 for what the filling appears like as soon as the sauce thickens. Take a look at all that flavour on the tofu and greens!

If the sauce reduces and thickens too rapidly (which could occur in the event you’re utilizing an additional giant pan or an additional sturdy range <– I’d love this downside), then simply add a splash of water.
Serving – Switch the filling right into a bowl. Put it out on the desk with the lettuce leaves, inexperienced onion, peanuts and bottle of sriracha. Then let everybody make their very own wraps!
DIY lettuce wraps – Spoon filling into lettuce leaf.
Toppings – Drizzle with sriracha, sprinkle with peanuts and inexperienced onion. Bundle / wrap (for gentle lettuce leaves) or fold like tacos (for crisper lettuce leaves) then devour!

Hand holding Vegetarian lettuce wraps - san choy bow

I’ve to admit, this recipe took me abruptly. I made it throughout a kind of patches after I was making an attempt to “be more healthy”. (However then mango pancakes and chili canines occurred which derailed my good intentions, adopted by pizza bread and carbonara which didn’t assist.)

Though I knew the san choy bow sauce had flavour-power, the considered a tofu-vegetable medley wrapped in but extra vegetable (lettuce) wasn’t precisely making me excited.

How very, very incorrect I used to be. It’s not simply “good”. It’s extraordinarily tasty. As in – I WANT to have it for dinner tonight.

The truth that it’s simply 245 energy for a beneficiant dinner-size serving is a bonus.

And with that, I’m accomplished in my efforts to persuade you to do this. Maybe I didn’t even have to do all this writing and the wonderful title I christened this dish was sufficient?? Superior Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps. Full factors for inventive writing! ???? – Nagi x