Tofu and soy mince larb lettuce cups
20 min · 45 g protein · 395 cals / serving
Thailand's hot, sour, herb-packed minced salad made with crumbled tofu and soy mince browned until they have crisp edges, then tossed with lime, chili, shallot, a fistful of mint and cilantro and nutty toasted rice. Spooned into cool butter lettuce leaves with cucumber on the side, it is bright, crunchy and on the table in under 20 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups dry soy mince (TVP) textured vegetable protein (tvp), dry
- 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp water, just off the boil
- 1 tbsp uncooked rice jasmine rice
- 10 oz prepared extra firm tofu, blotted well, crumbled and squeezed in a clean towel
- 1 tsp canola oil
Dressing
- 3 tbsp lime juice, from 2 limes
- 1 tbsp tamari
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes, or Thai chili flakes, to taste
- 2 small shallots, thinly sliced
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup leaves fresh mint, torn
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
To serve
- 1 head butterhead lettuce, leaves separated
- 1/4 cucumber, sliced
Steps
- Pour the hot water over the soy mince in a bowl, stir and leave it to soak while you do the rest.
- Toast the rice in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking the pan, for 3–4 minutes until deep golden and nutty-smelling. Tip it out and grind it to a coarse powder in a mortar or spice grinder.
- Add the oil to the same skillet over medium-high heat and add the crumbled tofu and the soaked soy mince with any water left in the bowl. Cook 8–9 minutes, stirring only every minute or so, until the water has cooked off and the crumbs are golden in places.
- Whisk the lime juice, tamari, sugar and chili flakes together. Take the pan off the heat, pour the dressing over the warm mince and toss in the shallots, green onions, mint, cilantro and most of the toasted rice.
- Taste for lime, salt and heat, then pile into lettuce leaves, scatter over the rest of the rice and serve with the cucumber.
Good to know
Make it a bigger meal?
Add a small scoop of sticky or jasmine rice, about 1/2 cup cooked per person, the way larb is eaten in Thailand and Laos.
Can I make the toasted rice ahead?
Yes. Toast and grind a few tablespoons at a time; it keeps for months in a jar and saves 4 minutes on the night.
Where do I find soy mince?
Look for TVP (textured vegetable protein) or dried soy mince near the beans or in the health-food aisle. It keeps for a year in the cupboard and needs only a soak in hot water.
Alternative
Per
- Calories
- 91
- Protein
- (44%)
- 10 g
- Fat
- (26%)
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- (30%)
- 9 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sodium
- 135 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 790 kcal goes into the pot and 974 g of ingredients comes out as about 870 g of food: 91 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.