Kung Pao Tofu Lettuce Wraps

Do you want to know why lettuce wraps are so kick-ass? Because it is totally acceptable to eat at least five or six guilt-free. And these kick even more ass, because they have just the right amount of kick in the spice department. 

A week or two ago I threw a bunch of ingredients into a pan and produced a magical end product that was somehow perfectly kung pao. So when my latest lettuce wrap craving crept in, I naturally decided to combine the two into one awesome, easy, ass-kicking dish. 

I almost hate to do this to you again, but this is another recipe that requires just a tad bit of prepping. If you are in a time crunch, or if your patience level is pregnant-woman low today, you can skip a step or two by using a package of already baked tofu. But as always, doing it all yourself tastes better in the end, so the first thing you have to do is press your package of extra-firm tofu for about 30 minutes. Otherwise you'll get soggy tofu. Gross. 



To press the tofu, I just take it out of the package, wrap it in paper towel and place it on a plate, and then place another plate on top. Then I get classy and balance a sauce pan on the top plate, and fill the pan with a bunch of heavy cans. After a half hour, I play a little jenga when removing the Dr. Suess tower from my tofu, unwrap it, and voila. Just call me Giada De Laurentiis. 



While the tofu is being pressed, you can prepare the veggies. Toss one grated carrot, 1 c. bean sprouts, and 4 diagonally-chopped green onions in a bowl with the juice from two limes (about 1/4 c.). Store in the fridge until it's time to top the wraps. 




Next, prepare the marinade by combining all the ingredients in a shallow container. If you don't have Bragg's on hand, go ahead and use regular soy sauce. I am just trying to cut my soy sauce back because I cook a lot with it. But for a marinade, I actually prefer the Bragg's anyway. 

Chop up the tofu into little bite-sized cubes and let sit in the delicious marinade for at least a half hour, but ideally a full hour if you can take it. Turn often to coat fully. Make sure to reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade for the sauce. 

Note: if you're using the pre-baked tofu, you can skip the pressing and baking steps, but the marinade is still key in the kung pao flavor here.




Line a cookie sheet with foil, and bake the tofu at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Baking is important. Your tofu won't fall apart when you go to fry it, and the texture will be browned and crispy on the outside, but melt-in-your-mouth delicious on the inside. If you have never been a tofu fan, or you've had to endure soggy, tasteless tofu crumbles before, it's likely because it wasn't baked first. It makes all the difference. 



While the tofu is baking, prepare the sauce that will be used to fry it up in. 



Simply stir into the marinade reserve: 1/4 c. soy sauce (here I am going to use real, gluten-free soy sauce), corn starch, brown sugar, red chili pepper flakes (optional for more heat), and toasted whole sesame seeds.




You are almost ready to fry some tofu up! First, chop up 2 red chilis. I am a baby, so I have to de-seed my peppers, but if you want to up the spice level even more, use your own tastebuds' discretion.



You're also going to need about a tablespoon of grated ginger and 2 cloves of minced garlic. This is one of those rare moments where I take the easy way out. I suck at mincing garlic. I can never chop it small enough and it sticks to the knife and usually I always need more right in the middle of cooking. So, I cheat with these jars of minced garlic, especially when it comes to sauteing and frying. Judge me, or just join my genius and keep a jar on hand for yourself. 

Fry time! Heat 1 tbsp sesame oil in a large pan at medium-high and saute the ginger, garlic and chopped red chili peppers for about 3 minutes. Pour in the fry sauce and stir everything together really well. Dump the tofu in and mix gently. Cook until the sauce starts to boil, then turn the heat down to medium low and let simmer about 5 minutes or so, until the tofu is caked with thick sauce. 

All you need is about five minutes to make this amazing peanut sauce that will top your wraps like whipped cream on an ice cream sundae. And since Kung Pao usually has peanuts in the dish, a peanut sauce makes perfect sense. 

In bowl, combine peanut butter, lime juice, rice vinegar, brown sugar, salt, wasabi paste, red chili pepper flakes, and chopped cilantro. 

Whisk it all together until it's well blended, spicy, and delicious.



This, by the way, is wasabi paste. I found it for a few bucks at WinCo, so it is really easy to find. As much as my mouth prefers mild-level heat, I can eat wasabi right out of the tube. Weird. 



Turn off the skillet and wash some butter leaves. Take a moment to revel in how pretty and fresh butter leaves are. I almost feel bad that I'm about to eat it. Almost.



Scoop the tofu onto a little taco-shaped leaf. Top with the veggies and the peanut-sauce. Make a plateful of them. Don't share. Devour and breathe fire the rest of the day. You deserve it.

Kung Pao Tofu Lettuce Wraps
Prep time: 60 minutes, Cook time: 25 minutes

Total time: approx. 90 minutes

makes about 8 wraps

For the tofu:

1 package extra-firm tofu

1 head butter lettuce

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 red chilies, chopped

1 tbsp. fresh ginger, grated

1 tbsp. sesame oil (for frying)For the marinade:

1/2 c. vegetable broth

1/8 c. Bragg's liquid aminos (or soy sauce)

2 tbsp. white wine vinegar

2 tsp. sriracha 

1 tbsp. sesame oil

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. garlic powder

For the fry sauce:

1/4 c. marinade reserve

1/4 c. soy sauce

2 tsp. corn starch

2 tsp. brown sugar

1 tbsp. toasted whole sesame seeds

1 tsp. red chili pepper flakes
For the veggies:

1 carrot, peeled and grated

1 c. bean sprouts

4 green onions, chopped

Juice of 2 limes (approx. 1/4 c.)

For the spicy peanut sauce:

3/4 c. chunky peanut butter

1/4 c. rice vinegar

Juice of 1 lime

2 tbsp. brown sugar

1-2 tsp. wasabi paste

2 tbsp. cilantro, finely chopped

Pinch of salt

1 tsp. red chili pepper flakes (optional)

Wrap tofu in a paper towel and press on a plate for 30 minutes. Drain and cut into small cubes.

Prepare marinade by combining all ingredients in a shallow container. Marinade tofu for at least 30 minutes, turning occasionally to coat. Reserve 1/4 c. of marinade mixture for fry sauce. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil and place tofu evenly. Bake for 15 minutes. 

Peel and grate one large carrot and place in bowl with bean sprouts and chopped green onions. Toss with lime juice and store in fridge until ready to use. 

Prepare fry sauce. Add all ingredients to marinade reserve in a bowl and stir well. 

Remove tofu from oven. In large saute pan, heat 1 tbs. sesame oil. Saute grated ginger, minced garlic, and chopped red chili peppers for about 3 minutes on medium-high heat. Pour in fry sauce and mix well. Add baked tofu and cook until sauce begins to boil. Turn down heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes, until sauce is sticky and the tofu is fully coated.

Prepare spicy peanut sauce. Combine all ingredients and whisk until mixed completely. 

Rinse head of butter lettuce. Fill each leaf like a taco, with tofu, veggies, and topped with spicy peanut sauce.

Enjoy!