Menu
Author:
Franco Salzillo
The Asian-theme chained known as P.F. Chang’s really changed the game when it comes to American-Asian cooking. Their vibrant menu has it all, and they work with sauces and seasonings beautifully.
Although I’m all about home-cooked meals, a night out at P.F. Chang’s is always a good night. Did you know they’ve been running since 1993? Now they have over 200 restaurants. That’s utterly amazing.
Today I’m sharing with you my take on a P.F. Chang’s classic, the tofu lettuce wraps. This copycat recipe is quite faithful to the original, especially for the sauce that’s thick and umami-rich. It makes everything taste better, even tofu.
I love tofu, though, and I find it to be a versatile protein source that tastes delicious when cooked right. No other protein out there has such a smooth texture.
Anyway, here’s how to make your own tofu lettuce wraps at home, including the famous restaurant’s sauce.
This recipe calls for firm tofu, mushrooms, carrots, onions and red pepper flakes. That’s the base, and we’re stir-frying it with sesame oil.
The sauce is what makes the dish truly special. It comprises tamari sauce, a thick version of regular soy sauce, honey, cornstarch as a thickener, a dash of rice vinegar and some garlic and ginger. That’s it! It’s insanely good, though — literally finger-licking good.
The only other thing you need is lettuce leaves. I use butter lettuce because the leaves are compact and round, but see what you have around; the lettuce is just the wrapper.
Make this PF Chang’s copycat recipe and share your results with this food-loving community; let’s see who can imitate the stylish dish better.
For the Sauce:
For the filling:
Crumble the tofu, chop the mushrooms and the carrots, mince the garlic and the ginger, slice the green onions.
In a mixing bowl, combine the tamari sauce, soy sauce, honey, cornstarch, vinegar and HALF the minced ginger and garlic.
In a skillet, add the sesame oil and sauté the tofu. About five minutes.
Add the mushrooms and cook for 3 more minutes before adding the carrots and the rest of the garlic and ginger. Once all is browned and cooked, about 10 minutes, add in the red pepper flakes and pour the sauce over the tofu mixture.
Top the lettuce leaves with the prepared tofu and enjoy!
