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May 30, 2020

pf chang's-style lettuce wrap




Hello, hello, Dear Raders!

There is so much information out in the web-osphere and I am sure each blog holds a special place in your heart, whether it is for the recipes, the photos, the personal annecdotes or the gabbiness of the site, but I wonder what attracts you to this blog? I would love to focus on the content you care about instead of trying to mind read over the internet. If you wouldn't mind slapping a comment to the bottom with your preference, I will try my best to make you happy.


Introduction


To get back into blogging, I am sharing an easy meatless, vegetarian, vegan recipe and I want to start ranking the difficulty and time it should take to cook a recipe. With that in mind, I have come up with this visual, which breaks it down by time, ingredients and dishes needed to prepare and cook ...




Of course, I reserve the right (and probably the need) to update or make changes to this chart as the concept evolves, but these are the expectations I look forward to achieving. 

Overview

Time: 20 minutes
Dishes: skillet, bowl, measuring cup
Side Recommendations: Cooked rice and steamed vegetables


So, dear readers, here is the first recipe. It is a throw-back to the times when eating out was a thing (pre-pandemic era). Here is my version of PF Chang's Lettuce Wraps, but if you serve it with rice it can become a meal. Heat the wok (or cast iron skillet, as in my case) and get to cooking. 

I list this as an easy recipe, without the optional dipping sauce, cuz let's face it, sauces take forever and a day to make. Skip it, use hot mustard or chili oil instead (or Sriracha) and you're still in good shape.




Speedy Cooking Tips

  • Pull out all ingredients and dishes before you start.
  • Heat the cast iron skillet or wok while you chop the protein.
  • Mince the other ingredients while the protein cooks.
  • Prepare the sauces while the dish cooks.
  • Clean the lettuce while the dish cooks.




Lettuce Wraps

Makes 4 servings 


1. Dipping Sauce (optional): mix all the ingredients in a small bowl until sugar dissolves. Set aside. 

Dipping Sauce (optional):
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 tablespoon tamari
1/2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1/2 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon toasted sesame seed oil

2. Stir Fry Sauce: mix all the ingredients and set aside.

Stir Fry Sauce:
3 tablespoon tamari
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

3. Stir Fry: Heat the oil in a large skillet or work over medium-high heat. Add the protein and cook until golden, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the water chestnuts, mushrooms and onions. Cook until the chestnuts are golden, another 5 minutes.

Stir Fry:
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 seitan cutlets, 1 package firm tofu or 4 Gardein scallopini, chopped
1 (8-oz) can water chestnuts, minced
1 cup mushrooms, minced (optional)
1/4 small onion, minced
 
5. Add the Stir Fry Sauce, mix and cook until it evaporates about 1 minute.

6. Serve the Stir Fry with the lettuce leaves and optional Dipping Sauce or chili oil or hot mustard and optional rice. 

For Serving:
Lettuce leaves
Fried rice noodles (optional)
Cooked rice (optional)


© 2020 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.








6 comments:

  1. Just want to say welcome back - I enjoy your blog and look forward to the new posts!

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    1. Thank you vegan1! It is always great to hear from readers! I appreciate the comment :)

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  2. Oh, this looks great. I recently bought a package of vegetarian chicken from the Asian grocery shop to use for something that I had to then abandon, and I bet this would be a great way to use it up!

    These days I am all about the easy to moderate recipes. The motivation I used to have to spend a long time in the kitchen putting something more complex together rarely strikes anymore. Oh, those were the days. That being said, I can't help but being intrigued by expert level - could take days - tell me more. ;)

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    1. I feel that, Susan! I'm camped in your woods, as well. I don't know what happened - the lack of time, the "I've been there and done that" or whatever, these days it's better to be in and out :)

      For Expert: I'm thinking from scratch stuff that you have to plan for, prep for -- I'm sure you've been there! Seitan (like the SteaK from the last post), puff pastry, aquafaba, ... I bet it wouldn't be too hard to find huge time-suckers, lol! Given my situation, though, chances will be few and far between and probably relegated to holidays and special occassions :D

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  3. yum! My son has been asking to make lettuce wraps like these so we'll use your recipe. In general I'm interested in all vegan recipes, the only stipulation being that I don't have to buy a specialty ingredient to make it. Thanks for posting!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Unknown! I wonder, what do you consider specialty ingredients? If you are omni, then nutritional yeast would be that, but if you are veg, maybe an ethnic ingredient might be considered specialty. In fact, the tamari here might be that, as well! It is all relative, but I will do my best to keep it as normal as possible or offer substitutions if you need it. Just let me know!

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Thanks for your comment! I'll check if it's spam and post if it is not. I appreciate your time and effort for commenting! ~ Zsu