Lately I have been giving cooking lessons to ATM's cousin Steffie who recently went vegetarian (woohoo!). Yesterday, when she was deciding what she would like me to teach her to cook, she mentioned her disdain for tofu. She is certainly not alone in the Tofu Haters Club, more often than not I meet people who shudder at the mere mention of the word. I believe that almost everyone can like tofu because tofu can taste like anything: chicken-y nuggets, feta cheese, ricotta cheese, chocolate mousse, ranch dressing. . . the possibilities are endless! Tofu on its own is pretty sad and boring, so preparation is key when winning people over to bean curd love. Steffie and I made super simple, super delicious Thai tofu lettuce wraps and guess what? She sure doesn't hate tofu anymore!
Thai Tofu Lettuce Wraps with Cucumber Carrot Slaw
Ingredients:
- 1 head of romaine lettuce, or iceberg lettuce, or collards, or savoy cabbage for wrapping
for the tofu:
- 1 package of extra firm tofu
- 1 small onion, roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 tbsp Thai green curry paste
- 2 tbsp tamari soy sauce
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 tbsp coconut oil or veg oil
for the sauce:
- Juice of one lime
- 1 tbsp agave syrup
- 1 tbsp tamari soy sauce
- Sriracha sauce, or Sambal Oelek, or other chili sauce
for the slaw:
- 1 large English cucumber
- 1 large carrot
- 1 minced shallot
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tsp agave syrup
- 1 tbsp tamari soy sauce
- 1 small minced Thai chili (or a sprinkle or dried chili flakes)
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Let's start with the slaw. Using a vegetable peeler, make the carrot and cucumber into ribbons by peeling and rotating the veggies until there is nothing left. Toss the ribbons, with the shallot, lime juice, agave, tamari, chilies and cilantro and set in the fridge to get cold and crisp and well marinated.
For the sauce, simply whisk the lime juice, agave, tamari and chili sauce (to your discretion).
For the tofu, place all ingredients except for the coconut oil into a food processor and pulse until the mixture is well combined. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, add the coconut or vegetable oil and the tofu mixture. Saute for a few minutes, or until slightly browned and heated through.
Separate the lettuce, or leaves of choice, and arrange them on a platter. To make a wrap, layer a few spoonfuls of the tofu on a leaf, drizzle with the sauce, and top with the cucumber carrot slaw.
XOXO
Vivacious Vegan
