The idea of lettuce wraps perplexed me for a while. My brother waited tables at P.F. Chang’s when he was in college. I never made it in there for dinner, but he suggested that if I did stop in I should try the tofu lettuce wraps. My response back was to ask why on earth would one use lettuce when the world is filled with perfectly good tortillas, rice paper and spring roll wrappers. Anyhow, I didn’t give lettuce wraps much thought between then and the time I started food blogging and thinking about summer food and the big lettuce leaves springing up from my garden. Lettuce wraps now make perfect, delicious sense. Putting all the “carbs are bad for me” nonsense (or sense?) aside, a big crispy leaf of lettuce is an incredibly appetizing dinner vehicle during those famous Pennsylvania summer 90% humidity days. And I’m not going to lie: I thought I’d still be hungry after eating a lettuce wrap. I was not. These were incredibly satisfying. Lettuce might just be the new tortilla. Well, sometimes. My trick for making tempeh delicious is to cook it up with super flavorful sauces and seasonings. In this case I whipped up an Asian-inspired sauce that packs a nice amount of ginger and a touch of sesame oil. You have the option of marinating the tempeh in the sauce for a bit, but if you don’t have the time, just quickly toss everything together to coat the tempeh with sauce. Next you’ll add the tempeh to the skillet and pan-fry it until you start to get some nice browning. Turn up the heat, add the carrots and stir-fry for a minute. Stuff into lettuce leaves and top with scallions and sesame seeds.
Tips for Making Awesome Vegan Lettuce Wraps
If you’re put off by the taste of tempeh, try steaming your tempeh before cooking. You can do this in a steaming basket on the stove for 10 minutes, or use my hack and just microwave it in a wet paper towel for 4 minutes. And if you still find tempeh to be a little funky for your taste, try subbing tofu. If you do this I recommend pressing your tofu first (don’t marinate it) and adding the sauce when it’s almost finished cooking. I used carrots because I love the sweetness and crunch they add to these wraps. But feel free to sub your favorite veggies. If the idea of a lettuce wrap really just doesn’t do it for you, try wrapping the filling in a tortilla or serving it alongside some rice instead.
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