Crispy Tofu Lettuce Cups with Peanut Sauce
VietnameseVegetarian Vegan Low-carb Under-30-min High-protein

Crispy Tofu Lettuce Cups with Peanut Sauce

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4.8 · (50 ratings)
restaurant4 servings — best eaten fresh; the tofu loses its crust if stored dressed.
scheduleHands-on 25 min | Total 55 min
bolt295 kcal
Yield4 servings — best eaten fresh; the tofu loses its crust if stored dressed.
Calories295 kcal
Total Time55 min
Cost/Serving

~$4.20 CAD per serving (estimate)

Ingredients

  • 400 gfirm tofu (pressed for at least 30 minutes)
  • 1 tbspghee
  • 1 tbspsoy sauce (for marinating the tofu)
  • 1 tspsesame oil
  • 1 headbutter lettuce (leaves separated and kept whole)
  • 2 mediumcarrots (peeled and coarsely grated)
  • 1 mediumEnglish cucumber (cut into thin matchsticks)
  • 3green onions (thinly sliced)
  • 1 small handfulfresh cilantro (leaves picked)
  • 1 tspsesame seeds (for garnish, from the week's shared bag)
  • 60 gnatural peanut butter (smooth, from the week's shared jar)
  • 2 tbspsoy sauce
  • 2 tbspfresh lime juice (about 1 large lime)
  • 1 tbspwater (plus more to thin if needed)
  • 1 tsphoney or maple syrup
  • 1 tspsriracha or chili-garlic sauce (adjust to taste)
  • 1 clovegarlic (finely grated)

Nutrition / serving

  • Calories295 kcal
  • Protein17 g
  • Carbs14 g
  • Fat19 g
  • Fiber4 g

Cost Estimate

~$4.20 CAD per serving (estimate)

Firm tofu fried in ghee gets a crust that holds up inside a butter lettuce leaf — no soggy middles, no falling apart. The peanut sauce comes together in two minutes and does the heavy lifting on flavour: salty, sour, a little heat. This is the kind of supper that looks assembled rather than cooked, which is exactly the point on a weeknight.

Instructions

01 check_circle

Press the tofu

Wrap the tofu block in a clean kitchen towel and set a heavy pan or a few books on top. Press for at least 30 minutes — ideally an hour. The drier the tofu, the better the crust.

02 check_circle

Cut and marinate

Cut the pressed tofu into 2 cm cubes. Toss with 1 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tsp sesame oil and let sit for 10 minutes while you prep the vegetables.

03 check_circle

Make the peanut sauce

Whisk together peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, water, honey, sriracha, and grated garlic until smooth. The sauce should fall off a spoon in a slow ribbon — add water a teaspoon at a time if it's too thick. Taste and adjust lime or chili.

04 check_circle

Prep the vegetables

Grate the carrots, cut the cucumber into matchsticks, and slice the green onions. Arrange on a plate alongside the separated lettuce leaves so everything is ready to assemble.

05 check_circle

Fry the tofu

Melt the ghee in a large non-stick or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tofu in a single layer — don't crowd the pan — and cook undisturbed for 3–4 minutes until the underside is deep golden. Turn each cube and fry for another 3 minutes on the second side. The cubes should feel firm and sound slightly hollow when tapped.

06 check_circle

Assemble and serve

Spoon carrot and cucumber into each lettuce cup, add 3–4 tofu cubes, and drizzle generously with peanut sauce. Scatter green onions, cilantro, and sesame seeds on top. Serve immediately with extra sauce on the side.

Chef's Cool Facts

Why pressing tofu matters

Firm tofu is about 85% water by weight. Pressing drives out enough moisture that the surface temperature during frying can exceed 150 °C — the threshold for Maillard browning. Skip the press and you get steam instead of crust.

Ghee's smoke advantage

Ghee has a smoke point around 250 °C, well above butter's 175 °C, because clarifying removes the milk solids that burn. That headroom is exactly what you need for high-heat tofu frying without scorching the fat.

Peanut butter's Vietnamese roots

Peanuts arrived in Southeast Asia via Portuguese traders in the 16th century. Vietnamese cooks folded them into dipping sauces — tương đậu phộng — long before peanut butter was a pantry staple anywhere else in the world.

Butter lettuce as a vessel

Butter lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. capitata) has cupped, pliable leaves because it's grown to stay tender rather than bolt. The high water content — over 95% — makes each cup feel cool against warm tofu, which is part of why the contrast works so well.

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