I need to give my brother the assist for this delicious recipe. An amazing cook in his own right, he sent me a picture of his shrimp lettuce wraps one day and I was immediately inspired! I couldn’t resist making these light and healthy wraps.
These wraps are vegetarian and gluten free, requiring only a few basic ingredients. I used tofu but you could easily swap for shrimp if that’s your thing. These wraps are topped with a lime-pickled onion, red cabbage, diced cucumber and shredded rainbow carrots. The wraps are then topped off with a very light ginger garlic sauce.
These yield about 6 wraps, depending on how much you want to stuff them. I used Gotham Greens bibb lettuce which were the perfect sized leaves for the wrap. I think making the wraps are part of the fun but you could also throw the ingredients into a bowl and make a thai-inspired lettuce wrap salad?
Coconut Aminos vs. Tamari
I recommend using either low-sodium tamari, which is gluten-free or coconut aminos. Coconut aminos is a salty, savory seasoning sauce made from the fermented sap of coconut palm and sea salt. It has a slightly sweet taste but DOES NOT taste like coconut. Its not as salty or rich as soy sauce but makes the perfect substitute if you are soy- wheat- gluten-free.
If you don’t have coconut aminos, tamari is also another option I use often. Similar to soy sauce, tamari is derived from fermented soybeans but its a little thicker and less salty.
Both would be great in this recipe but I prefer the slight sweetness the coconut aminos add to the sauce and tofu.
Make Ahead
These wraps would be great to serve at a party and could easily be made in advanced. You could assemble the wraps yourself or set up a “make your own lettuce wrap” bar. The recipe really only serves about 2-3 people so I would recommend you double or triple the recipe if you serve more.
Also, plan ahead to make the lime-picked onions!
Thai-Inspired Tofu Lettuce Wraps
Thai-inspired lettuce wraps with baked tofu, picked-lime, colorful carrots, red cabbage, diced cucumber and a garlic-ginger sauce made with coconut aminos. A light and delicious lunch or dinner. This recipe would taste equally as good with shrimp.
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 14 ounces extra firm tofu
- 1 teaspoon avocado, olive or other neutral oil
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos (or low-sodium tamari)
- 1 cup lime juice
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 purple carrots, shredded (can substitute with orange or white carrots)
- 1 cup red cabbage, finely shredded
- 1 cucumber, diced
- cilantro leaves, for garnish
For the sauce:
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos (or low sodium tamari)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons raw honey
- 2 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 2 small garlic cloves, finely chopped
Instructions
Make at least one hour in advance:
- Slice 1/2 medium red onion thin. Place onion in glass jar or bowl with 1 cup of lime juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Let sit for at least 1 hour or more.
Prepare the tofu:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Remove tofu from packaging. Wrap tofu in paper towels. Then wrap tightly in a clean dish towel. Place tofu wrapped in the dish towel on a place and place a heavy book or pan on top of tofu. Let sit for at least 15 minutes to squeeze water out of tofu.
- Unwrap tofu. Cut into long sticks. On a place, coat tofu sticks with olive oil and 1 tablespoon of tamari.
- Place on parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes (until golden brown).
Make the sauce and remaining filling:
- While the tofu is baking, make the sauce. In a small bowl or glass container, combine all of the ingredients for the sauce and whisk. Set aside.
- Chop remaining ingredients for garnish (cucumber, carrots, red cabbage, cilantro)
Assemble:
- Once tofu has cooled, assemble lettuce wraps and serve with a sauce.
Notes
- If you aren’t vegetarian, you can swap the tofu for 1/2 pound of shrimp.
- To make vegan, replace honey in marinade with maple syrup.