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Baked Tofu Lettuce Wraps with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Baked Tofu Lettuce Wraps with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Crunchy butter lettuce filled with rice noodles and flavorful baked tofu and drizzled with a spicy peanut sauce so good you'll want to slather on everything.
Yield: 4 servings
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

For Baked Tofu:

  • 16 ounces / 450 g firm tofu, drained
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch

For Peanut Sauce:

  • ⅓ cup / 86 g creamy peanut butter
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce, or to taste
  • 1 garlic clove, finely minced
  • ½ teaspoon finely minced or grated ginger
  • 2-3 tablespoons water, as needed

For Lettuce Wraps:

  • 4 ounces / 113 g rice vermicelli noodles, cooked according to package instructions
  • 1 head butter or bibb lettuce, leaves separated, washed and dried
  • fried shallots, optional, for topping
  • thinly sliced green onions, optional, for topping
  • toasted sesame seeds, optional, for topping

Instructions

  • Slice tofu into 1/2-inch thick slabs. Line a baking sheet with two layers of paper towels; arrange slabs of tofu in a single layer and cover with two more layers of paper towels. Place another baking sheet on top, then set a reasonably heavy weight on the pan (I used a dutch oven, you can use books or cans of vegetables evenly distributed on top of the baking pan). Let tofu drain for 20 to 30 minutes, then remove weights and paper towels.
  • While tofu is pressing, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper to keep the tofu from sticking (unfortunately foil just doesn't work as well here).
  • Cut tofu slabs into strips then again into 1/2-inch cubes. Place cubes in a mixing bowl. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili garlic sauce and gently toss until evenly coated. Sprinkle with cornstarch and toss until tofu is coated and no dry traces of cornstarch are visible.
  • Transfer to prepared baking sheet, arranging tofu in a single layer so that no pieces are touching.
  • Bake for 10 minutes; flip tofu pieces using tongs or a spatula. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
  • To make peanut sauce, in a bowl whisk together peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, rice vinegar, garlic and ginger until smooth. Drizzle in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the sauce has a nice thick yet drizzle-able consistency (you may not need all the water depending on how thick you like it).
  • Cook rice noodles according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
  • Arrange pieces of lettuce on plates. Top with a small pile of rice noodles and pieces of baked tofu. Drizzle generously with peanut sauce, then sprinkle with green onion, fried shallots and sesame seeds as desired.