This is an empanada sauce created especially for serving with the homemade empanadas I shared today. Loosely based on a traditional Colombian sauce called hogao, it has a wickedly good smokey flavour from char-roasting tomatoes in the oven. Use leftovers as a dip! I’m a firm believer than empanadas should be so great, you want... Get the Recipe
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]]>This is an empanada sauce created especially for serving with the homemade empanadas I shared today. Loosely based on a traditional Colombian sauce called hogao, it has a wickedly good smokey flavour from char-roasting tomatoes in the oven. Use leftovers as a dip!
I’m a firm believer than empanadas should be so great, you want to grab them straight out of the oven and eat them plain. Make the beef empanadas – and you will! Hot and crispy on the outside, juicy and flavourful on the inside, it’s everything an empanada should be!
But it is nice to have something wet to dip empanadas into because the reality is that there is only so juicy you can make the empanada filling without compromising the crispiness of the base. Empanadas are not like, say, Aussie meat pies which have molten gravy fillings.
While the beef empanada recipe includes various simple sauce options, this empanada sauce was created especially and is by far the best!
Ingredients in empanada sauce
This empanada sauce is based on a traditional Colombian sauce called hogao and is made with tomato that’s roasted until charred for beautiful smoky flavour.
Tomatoes – 2 medium ones, about 125g/4oz each.
Garlic cloves – Peel the skin off but keep them whole.
Spices – cumin for flavour and cayenne pepper for a warm buzz.
Sugar – just a tiny amount, to balance the flavour
Lime juice – for freshness/sour. Substitute with lemon or a vinegar (it’s only a small amount so substitutions are flexible)
Green onion – for a bit of freshness and nice bits of green in the sauce
How to make Empanada sauce
Two simple steps:
Roast the tomato and garlic until you get nice charred edges which gives the sauce its special smokey flavour; then
Blitz!
Serve with fresh, homemade empanadas.
Weep with joy.
No recipe video for this one because it’s an extra recipe for the beef empanadas and relatively straight forward. Though I can never resist if there’s demand, so leave your request below if you’d like a recipe video! – Nagi x
Empanada dipping sauce
Ingredients
- 2 medium tomatoes (125g/4oz each), cut in half and core cut out
- 2 garlic cloves , kept whole, peeled
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/8 tsp ground cumin
- 1/8 tsp ground cayenne or pure chilli (not US chili powder mix)
- 1/8 tsp white sugar
- 1/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt
- 1 1/2 tsp lime juice (sub lemon or vinegar)
- 2 tbsp sliced green onion
Serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F (200°C fan).
- Roast tomato 20 min – Toss the tomatoes and garlic with the olive oil in a bowl. Place the tomatoes on the tray, cut side up, then roast for 20 minutes.
- Roast garlic 15 min – Add garlic to the tray and roast for another 15 minutes until the edges of the tomato are browned. Remove from oven and cool on tray.
- Blitz – Transfer to a container that just fits the head of a stick blender. Add all remaining ingredients except the green onion. Blitz until smooth – about 5 seconds. Add the green onion and blitz until it's finely chopped.
- Serve with empanadas – or corn chips, vegetable sticks, bread!
Notes
Nutrition
Life of Dozer
He doesn’t realise this sauce comes with beefy empanadas. You snooze, you lose Dozer!
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*** BIG THANK YOU for all your lovely messages in response to the news that Dinner made the New York Times best sellers list! Who ever thought a cookbook with a dog on the cover would become a NYT best seller. 😂*** As for today’s recipe – a healthy dose of cumin plus a good... Get the Recipe
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]]>*** BIG THANK YOU for all your lovely messages in response to the news that Dinner made the New York Times best sellers list! Who ever thought a cookbook with a dog on the cover would become a NYT best seller. 😂***
As for today’s recipe – a healthy dose of cumin plus a good amount of onion and leek keeps things interesting with this Sweet Potato Soup! If leeks are a bit pricey, use more onion instead. Serve with a shower of something crunchy – croutons, nuts, crispy shallots. I used flatbread ribbons and pistachios.
Sweet potato soup
A basic sweet potato soup is made with garlic, onion and sweet potato boiled in stock that is then blitzed. It’s fine, but it’s kind of boring (sorry!).
A carton of cream and giant hunk of cheesy garlic bread will go a long way to make it more interesting. But as a general rule, I like my soups to be able to stand on their own two feet without relying on too many extras to prop it up.
Today’s flavour dial ups come in the form of lots of onion and leek, plus a whole tablespoon of cumin. Gosh, it’s amazing what a difference it makes to turn “fine” into “OMG THIS IS SO DELICIOUS!!”
All you need for The Sweet Potato Soup
Here’s all you need. The recipe only calls for 1/3 cup cream (80 ml!) for a touch of creamy mouthfeel. We don’t need much because the generous amount of leek & onion plus the cumin adds great flavour. Without these, I’d be using a lot more cream!
Leeks and onions – These add a flavour boost without having to resort to loads of cream or tons of spices to make this soup really tasty. If leeks are a bit pricey (as they can be during some months of the year) just use an extra onion instead. Just one onion to replace two leeks. Why? Because leeks have a more subtle, mild taste than onion. Two extra onions would make this soup too oniony, I think.
Bonus – Leeks don’t make your eyes water when you cut them! 👏🏻
Sweet potato – 2 medium ones totalling 1 kg / 2 lb (unpeeled weight), or one gigantic one.
Cumin powder – A spice that really compliments the sweet flavour of sweet potato. Gives this a flavour reminiscent of Moroccan food which you know is a good thing!
Garlic – This soup was never going to happen without garlic!
Butter and oil – Because of the sheer volume of onion and leek that is sautéed, we need 4 tablespoons of fat to cook them. I felt like using just butter makes the soup a little too buttery, but using just oil isn’t as fun. So I took the best of both worlds by using equal amounts of each.😎 You can double up on either of them, if you prefer.
Chicken stock (or vegetable stock) – I know it’s counterintuitive to use chicken stock for an otherwise vegetarian soup. But it really does give the soup deeper flavour than vegetable stock. However, I freely substitute vegetable stock.
Cream – Any dairy cream will work here. Thickened or heavy cream, pure cream, single cream, double cream etc.
Alternatives – I haven’t tried coconut milk or cream but I think they’d work nicely here. Sour cream and yogurt can also be used but they won’t add that touch of creamy mouthfeel that cream gives this soup. I’d rather use an extra knob of butter, personally.
How to make sweet potato soup
I’m a stick blender girl, when it comes to soups. So much less mess than using a blender.
Sauté leek, onion and garlic for 5 minutes until sweet and softened.
Stir sweet potato and cumin for 3 minutes so it’s nicely coated in the flavoured oil and the cumin gets toasted, which brings out the flavour.
Simmer 20 minutes – Add the stock and simmer for 20 minutes with the lid off.
Blitz with a stick blender until smooth.
Stir in cream.
Serve – Ladle into bowls and shower with something crispy! More chat on this below.
Soup toppers
I know I said at the beginning that this is a soup that stands on its own two feet. And it does. I drink it by the mugful, plain.
That said, I am a soup toppings gal and I will always encourage you to make soups more interesting with toppers. And wow, yes, we can do something different to the usual croutons and a swirl of cream!!! Today – crispy flatbread ribbons, a sprinkle of pistachio and swish of olive oil. Chosen as a nod to the Moroccan vibes in this soup.
I fried the crispy ribbons – for shooting speed purposes – but they are just as easily baked. Directions in the recipe. – Nagi x
PS And yes, you can absolutely do croutons instead if you prefer. Don’t let me deter you!
Watch how to make it
The Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 30g / 2 tbsp unsalted butter – or more oil
- 2 onions , diced
- 2 leeks , white and pale green part only, quartered, cut into 1cm / 1/2″ slices (Note 1)
- 2 garlic cloves , chopped
- 1 kg/ 2 lb sweet potato , peeled, quartered lengthwise, cut into 2cm / 0.8″ chunks
- 1 tbsp cumin powder
- 1.25 litre / 1.25 quarts chicken or vegetable stock , low sodium (Note 2)
- 1.5 tsp cooking / kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/3 cup cream (any type) or an extra knob of butter
Garnishes (Note 3)
- Something to drizzle / dollop – extra virgin olive oil, cream, yogurt, sour cream
- Something crunchy – flatbread strips (pictured, Note 3), croutons, pistachios, pepitas, crispy fried shallots
Instructions
- Sauté aromatics – Heat the oil and melt the butter in a large heavy based pot over medium heat. Cook the onion, leek and garlic for 5 minutes until softened.
- Add the sweet potato and cumin, cook for another 3 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Simmer 20 minutes – Add the stock, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then cook for 20 minutes at a gentle simmer until the sweet potato is very tender (no lid).
- Blitz – Remove the pot from the stove. Blitz with a hand-held stick until smooth. (Note 4 for blender) Stir in cream.
- Garnish – Ladle into bowls. Drizzle with yogurt, cream or olive oil with a sprinkle of something crunchy – pictured with pistachios and crispy flatbread strips (Note 3).
Notes
3. Garnishes – Something drizzled and something crunchy is my standard soup baseline. I used crispy flatbread strips in a nod to the vaguely reminiscent Moroccan flavours in this (I say that only because of the cumin!).
CRISPY FLATBREAD STRIPS – Cut 1cm / 0.4″ strips. Scrunch in hand (to curl) then fry in 3cm / 1″ 180°C/350°F oil for 20 seconds until light golden. Sprinkle immediately with salt while hot (so it sticks).
BAKED OPTION – Coat strips generously with olive oil spray, sprinkle with salt, bake at 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) for 10 to 13 minutes or until golden and crisp, tossing once or twice. Exact time will depend on thickness of flatbread.
Croutons – Cut any bread (crustless) into 0.75 cm / ⅓” cubes. Toss in a little olive oil to coat, sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Bake at 180°C/350°F for 10 min, tossing halfway, until golden and crunchy. Cool fully on tray before using.
4. Blender option – Allow soup to cool for 10 minutes then transfer half into a blender. Remove the lid of the feeder tube (it might blow-off due to the heat inside!), then put the lid on. Use a folded tea towel to cover the hole then blitz until smooth. Transfer to a separate pot. Repeat with remaining soup. (Stick blender really is easier!)
Silky smooth soup – You’ll need a high powered blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec. Note: soups as is might look a bit lumpy but it tastes smooth.
5. Leftovers will keep for 4 days in the fridge. Great for freezing too!
Nutrition per serving, soup only (because I can’t be held responsible for how crazy you go with toppings – and I fully endorse excessive toppings!).Nutrition
More cosy bowls of soup
Life of Dozer
Crashed out in his kennel at the end of a big Easter long weekend. (By “big”, I am obviously referring to extreme amounts of food scavenging and play time.)
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There’s no need to pre-cook shells before you stuff them. Such a pain messing around with hot floppy shells! Just bake in loads of sauce and they’ll cook in the oven. These jumbo shells, called conchiglioni in Italian, are stuffed with spinach and ricotta. Serve with a Mega Italian Salad and garlic bread for the... Get the Recipe
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]]>There’s no need to pre-cook shells before you stuff them. Such a pain messing around with hot floppy shells! Just bake in loads of sauce and they’ll cook in the oven. These jumbo shells, called conchiglioni in Italian, are stuffed with spinach and ricotta. Serve with a Mega Italian Salad and garlic bread for the perfect dinner.
Stuffed shells
I don’t know if you’ve ever tried, but stuffing hot cooked pasta shells is a nightmare. Slipper suckers that they are, and they break so easily.
There’s no need to suffer through all that! It’s much easier to stuff raw, uncooked pasta shells and cook them in the oven simply by covering them in a LOT of sauce. It 100% works. It’s the way I’ve been cooking cannelloni/manicotti all my life.
The trick is simply to start with a large volume of watery sauce that the pasta shells cook in. Not dissimilar to cooking pasta in a pot of boiling water, actually. And by the end, that watery sauce reduces down into a lovely thick pasta sauce!
This method of cooking also deals with another pet-peeve of mine: dry pasta shells. No worries about that here, we end up with plenty of tomato sauce for serving!
What you need for stuffed pasta shells
While there’s many stuffing options for pasta shells, the most popular is probably spinach and ricotta and that’s what I’ve gone with today. Sorry for being predictable?
Jumbo shells (conchiglioni)
Jumbo shells (conchiglioni is the proper Italian name) are more readily available these days in Australian grocery stores (Woolies, Coles, Harris Farms) and the primary reason I went on a stuffed shells bender.
They are a little more expensive than typical pasta shapes – around $5 for a 500g / 1 lb packet. But they go further. You’ll need 250g / 8 oz for this recipe which serves 5 generously, possibly 6. (Let me remind you, I have a rather robust appetite! My serving portions are not skimpy).
The spinach ricotta stuffing
Here’s what you need for the stuffing. Exactly the same combination I use for spinach ricotta cannelloni, spinach ricotta rolls and the fan-favourite spinach ricotta rotolo.
For a meat option, use the beef filling in Beef Cannelloni instead.
Spinach – use frozen for convenience (thaw, remove excess water before using), or fresh if you’ve got an abundance of it
Ricotta – be sure to use a food quality full fat, creamy one. Tip for Australians: avoid Perfect Italiano tub in the fridge aisle of major supermarkets. It’s quite powdery and unpleasant. My favourite is Paesanella which is sold at Harris Farms and over the deli counter at large supermarkets.
Shredded cheese – A flavoured one is best, like cheddar, tasty, gruyere. Save the mozzarella for the topping (which melts well but doesn’t have that much flavour).
Parmesan – don’t skip this! It adds extra savouriness and seasoning to the filling. Just store bought finely shredded or grated is fine, or grate your own.
Garlic – because it makes everything better
Egg – for binding.
Nutmeg – optional, but it’s a lovely touch. I use it in almost all my spinach ricotta fillings.
Salt and pepper
The sauce
I find this method of cooking stuffed shells from raw works best with a smooth pasta sauce rather than one with lumps of crushed or diced tomatoes. The shells cook more evenly and when it finishes baking, you’re left with a lovely smooth pasta sauce.
Tomato passata – Pureed, strained plain tomatoes, sometimes labelled “tomato puree” in the US (here’s a photo of Mutti tomato passata sold at Walmart). Readily available in Australian supermarkets nowadays, alongside pasta sauces. Excellent for making smooth sauces rather than simmering for ages to breakdown crushed or diced tomato. More on tomato passata here.
Substitutes – US Hunt’s tomato sauce is a perfect alternative. Otherwise, use crushed canned tomato then puree (like I do for cannelloni/,manicotti).
Eschalots –Also known as French onions, and called “shallots” in the US. They look like baby onions, but have purple-skinned flesh, are finer and sweeter. Not to be confused with what some people in Australia call “shallots” ie the long green onions.
I like using eshalots rather than onions because they are finer so they almost disappear into the sauce so you get a lovely smooth sauce. However, you can substitute with a small onion.
Herbs and spices – Fresh garlic, bay leaf, dried thyme and dried oregano.
Tomato paste – To intensify the tomato flavour and thicken the sauce slightly.
White wine – Adds depth of flavour / complexity into the sauce in a way only wine can! It’s only 1/3 of a cup and we simmer to cook out the alcohol. Substitute with more stock, or just skip it.
Vegetable stock – We need a whole litre / quart (4 cups) because we’re making a LOT of VERY watery sauce here! Just watch the video and you’ll see how it all gets absorbed by the pasta shells, leaving behind a lovely thickened pasta sauce for serving.
Sugar – Just a smidge, to take the sour edge off the tomato paste we’re using (tomato paste is sour!).
How to make stuffed shells
It’s actually extremely straight forward and the recipe has a nice flow to it: make the sauce first, then while it’s simmering, stuff the shells. Then assemble and bake!
How to make sauce for stuffed shells
Sauté aromatics – Cook the garlic and eschalots with the herbs in a large saucepan or small pot.
Tomato paste and wine – Cook off the tomato paste for 1 minute (this takes the raw sour edge off and deepens the flavour) then add the wine and simmer rapidly on high heat until it’s mostly evaporated.
Simmer 20 minutes – Add the remaining ingredients then simmer on low for 20 minutes with the lid off.
Watery sauce! The sauce will be VERY watery and there will be loads. Have faith! You need it all – the shells absorb most of that liquid. Keep the sauce hot – we want to use it hot.
Stuffing & bake
Stuffing – Mix the spinach ricotta stuffing ingredients together.
Stuff the raw uncooked shells. I find it easiest to use a small offset spatula (like a butter knife with a bend in it, super useful kitchen tool). Else a knife, spoon – whatever you find makes it easiest for you.
Assemble – Pour the hot sauce into a 23 x 33cm / 9 x 13″ baking dish. Then gently place the pasta shells in. They will be mostly submerged, some might semi-float. But you want most if not all of the pasta submerged under liquid so it cooks evenly (a bit poking above is fine as it will steam-cook).
Bake 70 min covered – Cover the dish with a baking tray (or foil) and bake for 70 minutes. Yes, really, it will take that long!
Why a baking tray? Easy way to cover the baking dish, no waste, no burning yourself, and it lets a little bit of steam escape to help the sauce reduce just the right amount.
15 min bake, cheesed – Remove the baking dish from the oven. Sprinkle with cheese then bake for a further 15 minutes until bubbly and golden.
Serve! Scoop and serve. Marvel at how the shells are perfectly al dente and how there’s so much lovely sauce to serve it with!
Serve with a quick rocket balsamic salad (that’s arugula, to those of you in the States!) or if you’re out to impress, a Mega Italian Salad (it lives up to its name). Add a side of garlic bread and tiramisu to finish, and that’s pretty much my idea of a perfect dinner. When am I coming over?? – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
Spinach Ricotta Stuffed Shells (Conchiglioni)
Ingredients
Sauce (you need LOTS!):
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 eschallots/shallots or 1 small onion , finely chopped (Note 1)
- 4 garlic cloves , finely minced
- 1 bay leaf , fresh (sub dried)
- 1/2 tsp each dried thyme and oregano
- 1/3 cup tomato paste
- 700g / 25 oz tomato passata (US: tomato sauce) (Note 2)
- 1/3 cup Chardonnay or other dry white wine (sub more stock)
- 4 cups vegetable stock/broth , low sodium
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp white sugar
- 1/3 tsp black pepper
Filling:
- 250g / 8 oz frozen chopped spinach , thawed (Note 3)
- 500g / 1 lb ricotta , full fat please (Note 4)
- 1/2 cup parmesan , finely shredded
- 1 cup shredded cheese (Mozzarella, Colby, Cheddar, Tasty, Gruyere, Swiss, anything!)
- 1 egg
- 1 large garlic clove , minced
- Grated fresh nutmeg (just a sprinkling) or 1/8 tsp nutmeg powder (optional)
- 3/4 tsp cooking / kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Stuffed shells
- 250g / 8 oz jumbo pasta shells (conchiglioni) (Note 3)
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
- 1/2 cup parmesan , shredded
- Fresh basil and parmesan , for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Sauce:
- Sauté – Heat oil in a small pot over medium high heat. Add garlic, onion, bay leaf, thyme and oregano. Cook for 3 – 4 minutes until the onion is translucent. Add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
- Reduce wine – Add wine, increase heat to high and let it simmer rapidly until mostly evaporated (about 2 minutes).
- Simmer – Add passata, stock, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir then simmer on low *(uncovered) for 20 minutes. Use while hot.
Filling:
- Squeeze spinach – Grab handfuls of spinach and squeeze out excess water.
- Mix filling – Place spinach in a bowl with remaining Filling ingredients. Mix well.
Assemble & Bake:
- Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F (180°C fan).
- Stuff – Stuff UNCOOKED shells with spinach ricotta filling. Stuff them full!
- Assemble – Pour the hot tomato sauce in a 23 x 33 cm / 9 x 13" baking dish. Gently place the stuffed shells in – most will be submerged, some may poke above surface.
- Bake – Cover with a baking tray (or foil) then bake for 70 minutes.
- Cheese it! Check the shells – they should be al dente! (If not, return to oven, covered). Sprinkle with mozzarella then parmesan. Bake 15 minutes until melted.
- Serve, garnished with extra parmesan and basil if desired!
Notes
Nutrition
Life of Dozer
Wow. He really will eat anything.
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The meat-free version of Chinese san choy bow. You never knew vegetarian lettuce wraps could be so delicious! Crumbled tofu makes the filling meaty while vegetables add lovely texture, smothered in a glossy, savoury sauce. Healthy food was never so delicious. And interesting. And easy. {Just 245 cal for a generous serving} Vegetarian lettuce wraps... Get the Recipe
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]]>The meat-free version of Chinese san choy bow. You never knew vegetarian lettuce wraps could be so delicious! Crumbled tofu makes the filling meaty while vegetables add lovely texture, smothered in a glossy, savoury sauce. Healthy food was never so delicious. And interesting. And easy. {Just 245 cal for a generous serving}
Vegetarian lettuce wraps (san choy bow)
Today’s recipe is a meat-free version of the Chinese restaurant favourite san choy bow which is a lettuce wrap with a pork filling.
I hate that I used the word “awesome” for a recipe name (in caps! 😅) but I couldn’t think of another way to capture your attention for these lettuce wraps. A vegetarian one, no less, made with lots of vegetable and tofu.
So if you’re reading this, perhaps the somewhat childish name I’ve bestowed upon these lettuce wraps worked! Because they are Awesome – with a capital A. Not just “ok”, not just “good”. That doesn’t make the cut to be shared on my website. They. Are. AWESOME!
(I need a new word. My high school English teacher would be horrified if she read this post).
Right, let me go straight to an up-close-and-personal of this tofu and vegetable filling that is the star of today’s show. Try telling me this doesn’t look delicious!
And before it was that, it was this:
Tofu crumbled up like mince (that’s ground meat, to you folks in the States). Much more effective for flavour absorption than dicing (plus, easier); then
Sauced with san choy bow sauce that stains the tofu an enticing mahogany colour and coats everything in a glossy savoury sauce.
Ready to see how to make these vegetarian lettuce wraps?? Let’s do this!
What you need for Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps
Here’s what you need:
The filling
Firm or extra-firm tofu – Use a firm or extra firm tofu, not silken tofu. It needs to be firm enough so you can crumble it like mince / ground meat. Tub label will give you clues – it will be labelled as such. 😂 Also, give it a squeeze. It should feel like soft rubber, rather than a very fragile jelly (silken tofu).
Vegetables – Green beans, carrot and mushrooms are the mix I’m using today. Love the texture the green beans and carrots give to the filling, and the savouriness the mushrooms bring.
Having said that, feel free to use what you’ve got! Any sauté-able vegetables will work fine.
Garlic and onion – Aromatics. Don’t skip these – they become more important in vegetarian dishes!
San choy bow sauce for filling
The sauce used for these vegetarian lettuce wraps is the same as the one I use for my classic pork san choy bow. It’s glossy and savoury, and each ingredient contributes to the flavour so please don’t skip any. This sauce, it can make anything taste amazing – even tofu! (There, I said it, go ahead and call me immature 😂).
Cornflour / cornstarch – This makes the sauce shiny and thickens it so it coats the filling ingredients beautifully.
Oyster sauce – A whole lot of flavour, jammed into one bottle! As the name suggests, the sauce is made with oysters – not that you would ever pick it. It just tastes savoury and sweet.
Alternatives – Vegetarian options available these days, even at large grocery stores in Australia. Else, Hoisin works great (though you get a five spice flavour which is lovely, just different!)
Light soy sauce provides salt but doesn’t stain things a brown colour and has a mild soy flavour. Can be substituted with all purpose soy sauce but not dark soy sauce (too intense). More on different soy sauces here.
Dark soy has intense colour (this is what makes the sauce and stains the tofu a brown colour) and much more intense soy flavour. It can be substituted with more light or all-purpose soy sauce but the sauce flavour will be more mild, and the tofu won’t go brown.
Chinese cooking wine (“Shaoxing wine”) is an essential ingredient for making truly “restaurant standard” Chinese dishes. It adds depth of flavour and complexity into sauces. More info on Chinese cooking wine here.
Substitute with Mirin, cooking sake or dry sherry. Non alcoholic sub – use 1/2 cup (125 ml) low sodium chicken broth/stock instead of water + Chinese cooking wine.
Sesame oil (toasted) – For lovely sesame flavour in the dish. Use toasted (brown oil) not un-toasted (yellow oil) as it has stronger sesame flavour. For fellow Aussies, toasted is the standard sesame oil sold in grocery stores. Un-toasted is harder to find (generally in health food stores).
The lettuce wraps & toppings
Filling sorted, now here’s what you need to make the wrap. The peanuts and sriracha or other chilli paste/sauce is highly, highly recommended for a great lettuce wrap!
Lettuce leaves – Chinese san choy bow lettuce wraps served at restaurants here in Australia use iceberg lettuce. At fancy places, they cut into neat rounds!
But honestly, any lettuce leaves where filling can be bundled inside, or have a natural cup shape works fine. Crispy (cos / romaine lettuce) or soft, pliable leaves (like butter lettuce).
Sriracha or other chilli sauce – Highly recommended. It just works so well to add a hit of spiciness to the freshness of the vegetable filling!
Peanuts – For an authentic san choy bow experience, chopped peanuts is also highly recommended!
Green onion – Sprinkle of fresh. Not as highly recommended, but it can be skipped if you don’t have it.
How to make vegetarian lettuce wraps
Mix the sauce ingredients in a small bowl in this order: cornflour/cornstarch and water first until lump free, then mix in everything else. Why? Because it’s easier to dissolve cornflour in less liquid than too much liquid.
Crumble tofu – Drain tofu. Cut into 5mm/0.2″ slices then use your fingers to crumble into a mince. It will crumble with little effort. Don’t make the crumbs too fine, you can always break the tofu up more when cooking – just like cooking mince/ground meat!
No need to press the tofu – There’s no need to press water out of the tofu using weights. The water contained in the tofu prevents it from being too dry.
Filling – Using a large non stick pan, heat the oil over high heat then cook the onion, garlic and carrot for just 1 minute. Add green beans and mushrooms then cook for 2 minutes. The green beans should still be firm. This is good! The texture the green beans add to the filling is really nice.
Add tofu and just toss through. Tofu doesn’t need to be cooked to eat it so for this recipe we just need to warm it through.
Sauce it! Pour in the sauce then let it come to a simmer. As it heats up, the cornflour in the sauce will make it thicken. Stir for 1 minute or until it becomes thick and glossy so it coats the mixture nicely. See the photo in step 6 for what the filling looks like once the sauce thickens. Look at all that flavour on the tofu and vegetables!
If the sauce reduces and thickens too quickly (which might happen if you’re using an extra large pan or an extra strong stove <– I’d love this problem), then just add a splash of water.
Serving – Transfer the filling into a bowl. Put it out on the table with the lettuce leaves, green onion, peanuts and bottle of sriracha. Then let everyone make their own wraps!
DIY lettuce wraps – Spoon filling into lettuce leaf.
Toppings – Drizzle with sriracha, sprinkle with peanuts and green onion. Bundle / wrap (for soft lettuce leaves) or fold like tacos (for crisper lettuce leaves) then devour!
I have to confess, this recipe took me by surprise. I made it during one of those patches when I was trying to “be healthier”. (But then mango pancakes and chili dogs happened which derailed my good intentions, followed by pizza bread and carbonara which didn’t help.)
Even though I knew the san choy bow sauce had flavour-power, the thought of a tofu-vegetable medley wrapped in yet more vegetable (lettuce) wasn’t exactly making me excited.
How very, very wrong I was. It’s not just “good”. It’s extremely tasty. As in – I WANT to have it for dinner tonight.
The fact that it’s just 245 calories for a generous dinner-size serving is a bonus.
And with that, I’m done in my efforts to convince you to try this. Perhaps I didn’t even need to do all this writing and the excellent name I christened this dish was enough?? Awesome Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps. Full points for creative writing! 😂 – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
San choy bow = san choy bau = san choi bow = lettuce wraps!
AMAZING vegetarian lettuce wraps
Ingredients
San choy bow sauce:
- 1 1/4 tsp cornflour / cornstarch
- 3 tbsp water
- 1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce (Note 1)
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce (Note 1)
- 1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce (Note 2)
- 1 tsp sesame oil , toasted
- 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (or sub Mirin or dry sherry, Note 3)
- 1 tsp white sugar
- 1 tsp finely grated ginger (sub garlic)
Filling:
- 250g/8oz extra firm tofu (Note 4)
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 garlic , finely minced
- 1/2 onion , finely diced
- 1/2 cup carrot , chopped into 5mm/ 0.2″ pieces
- 1/2 cup green beans , sliced into 5mm/0.2″ rounds
- 1/2 cup mushroom , chopped into 5mm/ 0.2″ pieces
Wraps:
- 12 lettuce leaves (+/- depending on lettuce size, Note 5)
- Peanuts , finely chopped (I like salted, but unsalted fine)
- Green onion , finely sliced
- Sriracha , for drizzling (highly recommended)
Instructions
- Sauce – Mix cornflour/cornstarch with water until lump free. Add everything else, then mix.
- Crumble tofu – Drain tofu, then cut into 5mm/0.2" slices. Use your fingers to crumble into a mince. Not too fine crumbs, can always break up more when cooking (just like cooking mince/ground meat!).
- Filling – Heat oil over high heat in a large non stick pan. Cook onion, garlic and carrot for 1 minute. Add green beans and mushrooms. Cook 2 minutes – green beans should still be firm.
- Sauce it – Add tofu and toss through. Pour in the sauce. Stir for 1 minute or until the sauce thickens and is coating the mixture nicely. (If it evaporates too quickly, add a splash of water)
- Serving – Transfer filling into a bowl. Lay out on the table with lettuce leaves, green onion, peanuts and bottle of sriracha.
- DIY lettuce wraps – Spoon filling into lettuce leaf. Drizzle with sriracha, sprinkle with peanuts and green onion. Bundle / fold, eat!
Notes
* Light soy sauce can be substituted with all purpose soy sauce but not dark soy sauce (too intense). More on different soy sauces here.
* Dark soy can be substituted with more light or all-purpose soy sauce 3. Chinese cooking wine (“Shaoxing wine”) is an essential ingredient for making truly “restaurant standard” Chinese dishes. Substitute with Mirin, cooking sake or dry sherry. More info on Chinese cooking wine here. Non alcoholic sub – use 1/2 cup (125 ml) low sodium chicken broth/stock instead of water + Chinese cooking wine, expect to simmer filling for an extra 1 minute as it will take slightly longer to thicken. 4. Tofu – Use a firm or extra firm tofu, not silken tofu. It needs to be firm enough so you can crumble it like mince / ground meat. Tub label will specify it is firm tofu (also, give it a squeeze!). 5. Lettuce leaves – Chinese san choy bow lettuce wraps served at restaurants here in Australia use iceberg lettuce. At fancy places, they cut into neat rounds! But honestly, any lettuce leaves where filling can be bundled inside, or have a natural cup shape works fine. Crispy (cos / romaine lettuce) or soft, pliable leaves (like butter lettuce). 6. Leftover filling will keep for 3 days in the fridge. Not suitable for freezing. Nutrition per serving, assuming 2 servings. Excludes toppings.
Nutrition
Life of Dozer
Before / during / after:
Before he realised it was plain baby spinach.
During the realisation.
After the realisation.
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