Vietnamese Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce

by thebestworldevents.com 3 February 2024 · Food

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Vietnamese Lettuce Wraps are a lower-cal model of Vietnamese rice paper rolls. The contemporary herbs and peanut dipping sauce are key right here! Every little thing else you possibly can change: prawns for shredded hen, fish and even tofu, with any shreddable veg you need. Glorious no-cook meal!

Vietnamese lettuce wraps

These lettuce wraps should not strictly Vietnamese genuine (so far as I do know), however they actually embrace all that we love about Vietnamese meals – contemporary and light-weight but by no means boring, utilizing an abundance of crunchy greens, herbs and a killer peanut dipping sauce.

That’s undoubtedly a signature of Vietnamese meals – wickedly good sauces that make every part scrumptious! Actually, you could possibly simply smother a bowl of in any other case bland boiled greens in that sauce and it’ll make it 100% scoff-able!

Vietnamese peanut sauce for Vietnamese lettuce wraps

Drizzling sauce on Vietnamese lettuce wraps

Components in Vietnamese lettuce wraps

Right here’s what you must make these. Sure there are a good few parts. However when you collect every part, it’s only a matter of a little bit of chopping then piling every part on platters for individuals to assist themselves. No cooking! 🙌🏻

The peanut dipping sauce

I’m placing this primary as a result of, frankly, it makes you overlook you’re maintaining a healthy diet as a result of it’s so good!

Pure peanut butter – Pure peanut butter is made with JUST peanuts – no sugar, oil or different components – so the peanut flavour is stronger. It’s additionally thinner which makes it extra appropriate for making sauces – industrial unfold will make the sauce a lot thicker. You’ll discover pure peanut butter within the well being meals part or alongside different spreads in common grocery shops.
Hoisin – Candy and savoury, it is a flavour shortcut so don’t skip it!
Lime juice – For contemporary tang. Substitute with rice vinegar.
LOW FAT coconut milk – Thinner than full fats (so the sauce isn’t too thick) and in addition the coconut flavour will not be as robust so it doesn’t overwhelm the opposite flavours. In case you solely have full fats, that’s tremendous, simply skinny it with just a little water, instructions within the recipe notes.
Garlic – As a result of it makes it higher.
Sambal oelak – A chilli paste with flavourings, for a bit of warmth. It doesn’t make this sauce spicy. Substitute with another chilli sauce or paste (simply add a bit and style) or be at liberty to go away it out.
Darkish soy – Deepens the sauce color and provides flavour plus salt. You possibly can substitute with common or mild soy sauce, however the sauce color can be a bit paler.
Sugar – For a contact of sweetness. In case you use full fats coconut milk or industrial peanut butter unfold, you may not want this.
Salt – Simply the soy isn’t sufficient, and including extra made it too soy-saucey, I discovered, and overtook the peanut flavour. So I switched to including a little bit of salt.

THE LETTUCE WRAPS

Prawns/shrimp – Right here in Australia, we’re blessed with nice prawns! Offered pre-cooked, boiled straight out of the water to lock in freshness. Nonetheless, be at liberty to cook dinner your personal, I’ve included instructions within the recipe notes.

Different protein choices – As a result of the peanut sauce is so good, you possibly can actually use any protein even when it’s plain! Assume – shredded poached hen, or leftover pan-fried fish or salmon (flake into massive chunks), and even non-Asian meals like bits of roast beef. And naturally, leftover Lemongrass Hen or Pork would actually be excellent. 🙂
Lettuce – Use any lettuce you need appropriate for wrapping or stuffing. I’ve used child cos (romaine) that are good and crisp, that are pure boat-shapes making them splendid for making lettuce wraps. Butter lettuce, which have smooth leaves so that they wrap with out breaking, are additionally splendid. Iceberg lettuce may also be used.
Beansprouts – Perky and contemporary, and no chopping! (Tip: Retailer in a container of water, absolutely submerged, change the water each couple of days. They may keep contemporary for every week, in comparison with 2 – 3 days within the bag).
Cucumber – Julienned. Not too finely, a little bit of crunchy is sweet!

Contemporary herbs – The basic mixture of mint and coriander/cilantro, for use in abundance! For these of you who can’t stand coriander/cilantro, use extra mint plus chives and/or inexperienced onion (lower into batons).
Vermicelli noodles – or glass noodles. These fill out the meal a bit so it’s not simply greens. However if you happen to’re actually counting carbs, you could possibly omit them or go for a lower-carb possibility like konnyaku (konjac) that are the well-known Japanese zero-calorie noodles you could even discover in common grocery shops today (like this one at Woolworths in Australia).
Peanuts – for sprinkling.
Birds eye chilli – for an non-obligatory hit of contemporary warmth and a stunning sprinkle of pink color on the platter.

QUICK PICKLED VEGETABLES – non-obligatory!

You possibly can completely simply use plain carrots, finely julienned utilizing a shredded or field grater, or some nifty knife work.

Or you possibly can add nice additional flavour into your wraps by making Vietnamese pickled greens! These are the identical pickles utilized in Banh Mi and it’s one of many issues that makes it so particular: the crunch with the tang balanced with a little bit of candy. Right here’s what you want:

Carrot and daikon (white radish) – These are two pickled greens generally utilized in Vietnam, together with in Banh Mi. They’re lower into skinny batons so that you get a terrific crunch (albeit pickled-softened-crunch!) once you chew in them. Don’t be tempted to shortcut chopping the greens through the use of a field grater. I attempted (the lazy cook dinner in me couldn’t resist) – and it simply wasn’t the identical. An enormous vinegary pile of coleslaw-like mush. I missed the crunch!
Rice wine vinegar – That is the vinegar used for the pickled greens, an Asian vinegar created from rice. Substitute with apple cider vinegar.
Salt and sugar – For pickling. These pickled greens are a bit candy and bit salty, good steadiness between the 2.

Easy methods to make Vietnamese Lettuce Wraps

It’s no cook dinner, if you happen to use pre-cooked prawns like I do!

Soak vermicelli noodles in boiling water for five minutes (or no matter your packet says). Then drain, rinse beneath water (so that they don’t stick collectively) and permit extra water to empty off completely earlier than utilizing (about 5 minutes within the colander).
Fast pickled greens – Dissolve the sugar and salt in scorching water, then combine within the vinegar.
Pickle the carrot and daikon for two hours then drain. Or maintain them within the pickling liquid for weeks!
Reduce the prawns in half horizontally and take away the vein (that’s a pleasant phrase for poop shoot which I actually wished to keep away from writing, however for readability, determined I higher embrace it 😂).

I like to chop the prawns thinner as a result of they sit inside lettuce wraps higher. I discover complete prawns just a little too chunky, although if I used to be utilizing small prawns I might use them complete.

Lay all of it out on a platter

Mainly, as soon as the above prep has been performed, you simply lay every part out on an enormous platter or in varied bowls, plonk it on the desk and inform individuals make your personal dinner! 😂

ASSEMBLING THE LETTUCE WRAPS

And as for the lettuce wrap half, there actually are not any guidelines. However right here’s a information for the order by which I do it:

Noodles first then no matter greens you wish to add. As a result of – newsflash – you don’t should stuff every part you see on the platter into each lettuce wrap!!
Prawns – Prime with prawns and stuff the herbs down the aspect.
Sauce – Drizzle with sauce, sprinkle with peanuts and chilli.
Then bundle it up and chew!

Vietnamese lettuce wrap bundled and ready to eat

And there you’ve got it. One other certainly one of my DIY unfold meals. I’m a giant fan of those for gatherings! Take extra of what you want, keep away from the belongings you don’t. Every little thing could be ready properly prematurely, piled onto the platters then saved within the fridge till you’re able to serve.

Bonus: It travels properly. In actual fact, I despatched the platters you see on this put up to my group at RecipeTin Meals. They cook dinner for the susceptible 5 days every week, so it’s the least I can do to cook dinner for them from time to time. (Nicely, technically shoot leftovers…..similar, similar! 😈).