Vietnamese Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce

Vietnamese Lettuce Wraps are a lower-cal model of Vietnamese rice paper rolls. The contemporary herbs and peanut dipping sauce are key right here! The whole thing else you’ll be able to transfer: prawns for shredded hen, fish and even tofu, with any shreddable veg you wish to have. Superb no-cook meal!

Vietnamese lettuce wraps

Those lettuce wraps aren’t strictly Vietnamese original (so far as I do know), however they without a doubt embody all that we like about Vietnamese meals – contemporary and light-weight but by no means uninteresting, the usage of an abundance of crunchy greens, herbs and a killer peanut dipping sauce.

That’s surely a signature of Vietnamese meals – wickedly just right sauces that make the entirety scrumptious! In truth, it is advisable simply smother a bowl of another way bland boiled greens in that sauce and it is going to 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 want to make those. Sure there are an excellent few parts. However if you collect the entirety, it’s only a subject of just a little of reducing then piling the entirety on platters for folks to lend a hand themselves. No cooking! 🙌🏻

The peanut dipping sauce

I’m hanging this primary as a result of, frankly, it makes you disregard you’re maintaining a healthy diet as it’s so just right!

Herbal peanut butter – Natural peanut butter is made with JUST peanuts – no sugar, oil or different components – so the peanut flavour is more potent. It’s additionally thinner which makes it extra appropriate for making sauces – industrial unfold will make the sauce a lot thicker. You’ll in finding herbal peanut butter within the well being meals phase or along different spreads in common grocery retail outlets.
Hoisin – Candy and savoury, it is a flavour shortcut so don’t skip it!
Lime juice – For contemporary tang. Exchange with rice vinegar.
LOW FAT coconut milk – Thinner than complete fats (so the sauce isn’t too thick) and likewise the coconut flavour isn’t as robust so it doesn’t weigh down the opposite flavours. In the event you simplest have complete fats, that’s tremendous, simply skinny it with a little bit water, instructions within the recipe notes.
Garlic – As it makes it higher.
Sambal oelak – A chilli paste with flavourings, for just a little of warmth. It doesn’t make this sauce highly spiced. Exchange with every other chilli sauce or paste (simply upload just a little and style) or be at liberty to depart it out.
Darkish soy – Deepens the sauce color and provides flavour plus salt. You’ll be able to exchange with common or mild soy sauce, however the sauce color shall be just a little paler.
Sugar – For a marginally of sweetness. In the event you use complete fats coconut milk or industrial peanut butter unfold, it’s possible you’ll now 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 just a little of salt.

THE LETTUCE WRAPS

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

Different protein choices – For the reason that peanut sauce is so just right, you’ll be able to actually use any protein despite the fact that it’s undeniable! Assume – shredded poached hen, or leftover pan-fried fish or salmon (flake into giant chunks), or even non-Asian meals like bits of roast red meat. And naturally, leftover Lemongrass Rooster or Beef would actually be very best. 🙂
Lettuce – Use any lettuce you wish to have appropriate for wrapping or stuffing. I’ve used child cos (romaine) that are great and crisp, that are herbal boat-shapes making them preferrred for making lettuce wraps. Butter lettuce, that have comfortable leaves so that they wrap with out breaking, also are preferrred. Iceberg lettuce can be used.
Beansprouts – Perky and contemporary, and no reducing! (Tip: Retailer in a container of water, totally submerged, exchange the water each and every couple of days. They are going to keep contemporary for every week, in comparison to 2 – 3 days within the bag).
Cucumber – Julienned. Now not too finely, just a little of crunchy is sweet!

Recent herbs – The vintage aggregate of mint and coriander/cilantro, for use in abundance! For the ones of you who can’t stand coriander/cilantro, use extra mint plus chives and/or inexperienced onion (reduce into batons).
Vermicelli noodles – or glass noodles. Those fill out the meal just a little so it’s now not simply greens. However if you happen to’re in point of fact counting carbs, it is advisable fail to remember them or go for a lower-carb choice like konnyaku (konjac) that are the well-known Jap zero-calorie noodles that you’ll be able to even in finding in common grocery retail outlets this present day (like this one at Woolworths in Australia).
Peanuts – for sprinkling.
Birds eye chilli – for an not obligatory hit of unpolluted warmth and a good looking sprinkle of purple color at the platter.

QUICK PICKLED VEGETABLES – not obligatory!

You’ll be able to completely simply use undeniable carrots, finely julienned the usage of a shredded or field grater, or some nifty knife paintings.

Or you’ll be able to upload nice further flavour into your wraps via making Vietnamese pickled greens! Those are the similar pickles utilized in Banh Mi and it’s probably the most issues that makes it so particular: the crunch with the tang balanced with just a little of candy. Right here’s what you want:

Carrot and daikon (white radish) – Those are two pickled greens often utilized in Vietnam, together with in Banh Mi. They’re reduce into skinny batons so that you get an ideal crunch (albeit pickled-softened-crunch!) while you chunk in them. Don’t be tempted to shortcut chopping the greens via the usage of a field grater. I attempted (the lazy cook dinner in me couldn’t face up to) – and it simply wasn’t the similar. A large vinegary pile of coleslaw-like mush. I ignored the crunch!
Rice wine vinegar – That is the vinegar used for the pickled greens, an Asian vinegar constructed from rice. Exchange with apple cider vinegar.
Salt and sugar – For pickling. Those pickled greens are just a little candy and bit salty, great steadiness between the 2.

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 mins (or no matter your packet says). Then drain, rinse underneath water (so that they don’t stick in combination) and make allowance extra water to empty off totally earlier than the usage of (about 5 mins 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 stay them within the pickling liquid for weeks!
Reduce the prawns in part horizontally and take away the vein (that’s a pleasing phrase for poop shoot which I in point of fact sought after to keep away from writing, however for readability, determined I higher come with it 😂).

I really like to chop the prawns thinner as a result of they take a seat inside of lettuce wraps higher. I in finding entire prawns a little bit too chunky, regardless that if I used to be the usage of small prawns I might use them entire.

Lay all of it out on a platter

Mainly, as soon as the above prep has been executed, you simply lay the entirety out on a large platter or in quite a lot of bowls, plonk it at the desk and inform folks make your individual dinner! 😂

ASSEMBLING THE LETTUCE WRAPS

And as for the lettuce wrap section, there in point of fact aren’t any regulations. However right here’s a information for the order during which I do it:

Noodles first then no matter greens you wish to have so as to add. As a result of – newsflash – you don’t need to stuff the entirety you spot at the platter into each and every lettuce wrap!!
Prawns – Best with prawns and stuff the herbs down the facet.
Sauce – Drizzle with sauce, sprinkle with peanuts and chilli.
Then package it up and chunk!

Vietnamese lettuce wrap bundled and ready to eat

And there you’ve got it. Every other considered one of my DIY unfold foods. I’m a large fan of those for gatherings! Take extra of what you prefer, keep away from the belongings you don’t. The whole thing may also be ready smartly upfront, piled onto the platters then saved within the refrigerator till you’re in a position to serve.

Bonus: It travels smartly. Actually, I despatched the platters you spot on this submit to my crew at RecipeTin Foods. They cook dinner for the susceptible 5 days every week, so it’s the least I will do to cook dinner for them once in a while. (Neatly, technically shoot leftovers…..identical, identical! 😈).

Were given extra ideas for fillings? Percentage them beneath so others can learn your concepts! – Nagi x

Watch the best way to make it

Hungry for extra? Subscribe to my e-newsletter and observe alongside on Fb, Pinterest and Instagram for all the newest updates.

Vietnamese Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce

Vietnamese lettuce wraps