Restaurant-Style Tofu Lettuce Wraps

I looked high and low for tofu lettuce wrap recipes and could not find one single recipe on the web that hit the spot, so I made up my own. This is delicious and, although it takes a little preparation, it's totally worth it. Serve with some Chinese-style hot mustard.

• Preparation Time: 40 mins
• Cooking Time: 15 mins
• Total Time: 55 mins
• Calories: 292 Calories

Ingredients

• ¼ cup water
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
• 1 large white onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• ¼ cup white sugar, or to taste
• ½ cup green onions, chopped
• ½ cup chopped carrot
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 1 (8 ounce) package bean sprouts
• 1 (12 ounce) package extra-firm tofu, drained
• Chopped peanuts
• 1 tablespoon dry sherry (Optional)
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch, or as needed (Optional)
• 1 teaspoon chile-garlic sauce (such as Sriracha®), or more to taste
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil, divided, or to taste
• 1 (15 ounce) can straw mushrooms, drained and chopped
• 1 (8 ounce) can bamboo shoots, drained and chopped
• 1 medium head radicchio, chopped
• 1 (5 ounce) can fried noodles (such as La Choy®)
• 1 (10 ounce) bag romaine lettuce leaves

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Place tofu in an airtight container and freeze for 24 hours. Remove from container and thaw, at least 3 hours. Squeeze out excess moisture with your hands or place tofu on paper towels and lay a heavy cutting board on top.

Step 2

Whisk 1/4 cup soy sauce, brown sugar, 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar, and sherry together in a bowl to make the cooking sauce.

Step 3

Whisk water, white sugar, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar, and chile-garlic sauce together in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch at a time and whisk until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Store special sauce in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Step 4

Chop tofu roughly into small pieces. Heat 1 teaspoon sesame oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add tofu when oil is hot; stir-fry until tofu is browned, about 5 minutes. Set tofu aside in a bowl.

Step 5

Heat remaining sesame oil in the skillet over high heat. Saute onion and garlic until browned and any excess liquid is absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots. Cook over medium-high heat until any excess liquid is absorbed, 2 to 3 minutes. Add cooking sauce to the skillet and stir. Add tofu to the skillet. Cook until sauce is thickened and all vegetables are tender, 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove from heat.

Step 6

Place radicchio, bean sprouts, noodles, peanuts, carrot, and green onions in individual bowls. Place tofu mixture in a serving bowl. Arrange lettuce leaves on a large plate. Put special sauce in a serving bowl with a spoon. Assemble by placing 2 to 3 lettuce leaves on a plate, topping with tofu and garnishes, and drizzling the special sauce on top.