Because it's hella hot out I was craving iceberg lettuce—dehydration? Maybe. But I thought eating an iceberg salad would be boring, so I made these sweet soy tofu lettuce wraps!
These lettuce wraps are straightforward to whip up, use firm tofu which I always have in my fridge, and are really pretty inexpensive too.
I used sweet soy sauce recently to make my recipe for nasi goreng as part of my EAT IT by hot for food member blog. And I've found myself adding it to just about everything. It's basically what it sounds like, a sugary soy sauce. So if you don't want to go buy a new pantry ingredient you can use agave, maple syrup, or granulated sugar with more regular soy sauce. I would just add it to your tastes.
All the crunchy watery freshness from the lettuce, carrots, and ginger pair well with the sweet soy tofu. I think cilantro is a must on these lettuce wraps and I would have loved to add Thai basil, however, I don't grow any and it's impossible to find in LA grocery stores! These sweet soy tofu lettuce wraps make the perfect summer meal and if you're looking for other easy ideas of things to make during the hot months check out this creamy cucumber noodle bowl or the thai lettuce wraps using vegan beef.
what you need
- firm tofu
- sweet soy sauce
- soy sauce
- seasoned rice vinegar
- garlic
- chili garlic sauce
- roasted and salted peanuts
- large head of iceberg lettuce
- pickled ginger
- cilantro
- carrot
- red onion
how to make sweet soy tofu lettuce wraps
Start by cutting the head of iceberg lettuce in half and gently removing layers for the wraps.
Prepare the vegetable toppings—shred carrot, thinly slice red onions, and chop pickled ginger.
Prepare the sweet soy sauce for the tofu by mixing everything together in a bowl.
Heat a cast iron pan and break up the tofu into chunks into hot oil. Fry until golden brown on all sides.
Once the tofu is crispy and golden, lower the heat, add all the sweet soy sauce, and toss.
Once it's sticky and darker remove into a dish and top with roasted salted peanuts.
storage
It's best to store the sweet soy tofu in a separate container from the other components of the lettuce wraps. If you don't eat all the toppings just place them in containers in the fridge. This is an easy one to come back to when you need a quick snack. You can easily have all the components out and stand at the counter eating lettuce wraps!
sweet soy tofu lettuce wraps
Ingredients
lettuce wraps
- 6 large leaves iceberg lettuce
- ¼ C chopped pickled ginger
- ⅓ C cilantro leaves
- ½ C shredded carrot
- ½ C thinly sliced red onions
sweet soy tofu
- ½ brick firm tofu, crumbled into chunks
- 2 tablespoon sweet soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
- ¼ C finely chopped roasted and salted peanuts
Instructions
- Cut the head of iceberg lettuce in half. Remove lettuce cups from both halves a few layers down. You can make as many as you want, but my recipe for the tofu is enough for 6 lettuce wraps/cups and can easily be doubled.
- Prepare the sweet soy tofu by frying the chunks of tofu in a large pan over medium-high heat for about 6 minutes in a bit of vegetable oil. Flip once to get crispy and golden brown. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl combine the sweet soy sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, minced garlic, and chili sauce together. Once the tofu is crispy, add all the sauce to the pan and lower the heat to medium. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes until sticky and darker, only stirring occasionally.
- Assemble each lettuce wrap with a portion of the sweet soy tofu, and top with pickled ginger, cilantro, carrots, and red onion.
Nina D Carroll
I made these wraps with a few subs for the sweet soy sauce. I used a sweet orange sesame sauce. Also used lime slices for garnish and the juice on toppings. Delicious!!
I will definitely make again
Lauren Toyota
YUM!