When I became a vegetarian at 16 years old, one of the meals I missed the most was the chicken lettuce wraps from my fav Chinese restaurant. This thai lettuce wrap recipe is inspired by those, yet this dish adds a lot more nourishment and flavors to make me one happy vegetarian.
Warm a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat until shimmering. Add the celery and shallots and cook for 5 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Stir in the mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms release their liquid and it evaporates, and the mushrooms start to brown nicely. Add the walnuts and cook for 1 to 2 minutes to toast them.
Stir in the lime juice, tamari, coconut sugar, and rice vinegar. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until the sauce thickens slightly. Remove from the heat and stir in the mint, cilantro, and red-pepper flakes. Taste and add more tamari, if desired, for more saltiness. Keep warm until ready to serve.
To serve, spoon some of the vegetables into the lettuce leaves. Top with a sprinkling of carrots, cashews, cilantro, and scallions and add a squeeze of lime. Serve warm.
Notes
To make nut free: remove the walnuts and double the mushrooms. Also, skip the cashews on top.
This is gluten free, just make sure to use a gluten free tamari.