The gob-smackingly green lettuce from @stemwater.in is the real inspiration behind this dish—its crisp, light and fresh and yet holds its own against the other bolder flavours and textures in this dish. There are only 3 elements to prepare here, each of which is quite simple and can be pre-made. Put them together, and wait for the magic to happen to your taste buds!
Ingredients:
- Tofu Mince
- 200 gm firm tofu
- 1 cup fresh water chestnuts
- 1 stalk celery
- 1 tbsp tamari
Finely chop the celery and water chestnuts. Heat up a spoon of avo oil in a pan, and saute the veggies until theyre a bit soft. Add the tofu and mash with the back of your spatula until it resembles a mince. Add the tamari, and cook until it dries out fully.
Salad
Ingredients:
- 1 large carrot
- ½ small red cabbage from Stemwater Farms
- 2 stalks spring onions
- Handful of fresh mint
Grate the carrot. Chop the red cabbage into small, thin strips. Finely chop the spring onion and mint. Mix and set aside!
Sauce
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp crushed garlic
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 2 tbsp miso paste
- 4 tbsp tamari
- 4 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- ½ cup water
- 2 tsp cornflour
Heat the oil in a pan and add the crushed garlic to it. Once it begins to brown add all the other ingredients except the cornflour, and cook for about 10 minutes until they are well combined. Dissolve the cornflour in a little water and pour it in too. Wait for it to thicken.
For Assembly
15-20 Butterhead lettuce leaves from Stemwater Farms
Separate the leaves carefully from the head of lettuce, clean and dry well. Get the bigger leaves from the outside for this!
Place some tofu mince in the centre of each leaf, top off with some salad and sauce- pick up with your fingers and eat! I had some lotus stem left over which I crisped up again as a nice textural topping, but you don’t really need it. If you want something crunchier on top, you can also use roasted peanuts.
Recipe curated by Isha Dalal Rana.