These Thai lettuce wraps with peanut sauce are quick, fresh, and light, making them a beautiful appetizer for your Thai-inspired dinner. This dish combines the crispness of lettuce and bok choy with the rich flavors of peanuts and coconut.
What are Thai Lettuce Wraps?
Thai lettuce wraps are a popular appetizer or light meal that involves using fresh lettuce leaves as a vessel for a savory filling.
The beauty of lettuce wraps lies in their simplicity and the flavors they deliver with each bite.
Our version emphasizes a Thai-inspired filling with bok choy, shredded coconut, peanuts, and a delicious peanut sauce.
Why you will love this peanut lettuce wrap?
- Fresh and Light, making them perfect for a healthy snack or appetizer that falls into the longevity recipes category.
- This recipe is perfect for those busy days when you need a quick meal. With just a few simple steps, you can have a delicious appetizer ready in under 30 minutes.
- Bok choy, also known as Chinese white cabbage or pak choi, is the star ingredient in these wraps. Cultivated in China for thousands of years, bok choy is now available worldwide due to its numerous health benefits. Paired with peanuts, which are rich in protein and healthy fats, these wraps offer a nutritious and satisfying option for any meal.
I have been inspired by this bok choy recipe that I twisted into a Thai version by incorporating coconut, lime, and peanuts.
Lettuce wrap Ingredients
Leaves of Lettuce
Lettuce serves as the base for the wraps, You can use Romaine, iceberg lettuce, or butter lettuce leaves. These all will make easy lettuce cups.
Bok Choy
Bok choy, also known as Chinese white cabbage, adds a mild, slightly sweet flavor and a crunchy texture. It is rich in vitamins and minerals, making it a nutritious addition.
Peanuts
You can use salted roasted peanuts for extra flavor, or plain peanuts that you can roast and salt yourself. For a different taste, try cashews or almonds.
Shredded Dry Coconut
You can use finely chopped dried coconut flakes as a substitute or even coconut chips.
Lime
Lime and lime juice provide a zesty and tangy flavor. Lemon can be a good substitute if you don’t have lime.
Red Onion
Red onion offers a sharp, pungent flavor and adds a bit of crunch. You can use green onion or shallots as alternatives.
Sugar
While I like to limit the amount of sugar, it is important in this recipe for making peanut sauce. While some sources use peanut butter, I strongly suggest not skipping the step of making homemade peanut sauce. You can use regular granulated sugar, brown sugar for a deeper flavor, or honey as a natural alternative.
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: finely chopped ginger
30 minute Peanut Sauce Lettuce Wraps Recipe
First Step: Make the Peanut Sauce in Skillet
Whisk the paste from the shredded coconut. Heat a skillet and dry fry the coconut until golden brown. Add sugar and water. Simmer for about 5 minutes until the mixture has a marmalade-like texture. Remove from heat.
Second Step: Roast the Peanuts
Grind the peanuts in a mixer or cut them into small pieces. Roasting the peanuts adds a rich, nutty flavor.
Third Step: Chop Onion and Lime
Finely chop the red onion. Peel and chop the lime into small pieces.
Fourth Step: Assemble the lettuce
Arrange individual young salad leaves and bok choy leaves on a plate. Start with a layer of the coconut paste on each leaf. Add a little bit of onion, a piece of lime, and some chopped peanuts on top. Add finely chopped ginger if you like. Serve immediately, especially the bok choy leaves, which wilt quickly.
Variations to lettuce wraps with peanut sauce
- drizzle chili sauce on top
- Use different types of lettuce or greens.
- add herbs like cilantro or mint for extra flavors
- add sesame seeds or sunflower seeds on top
- Add other vegetables like carrots or cucumbers.
- You can also experiment with different proteins like shredded chicken or tofu mixed with soy sauce that we used to make mazesoba. Make chicken lettuce wraps by adding ground chicken or ground turkey.
- The key is to keep it fresh and light. Enjoy these wraps as a healthy appetizer or snack.
Thai Lettuce wraps with peanut sauce
These Thai lettuce wraps with peanut sauce are quick, fresh, and light, making them a beautiful appetizer for your Thai-inspired dinner.
- 2 young salads
- 1 bok choy
- 1 cup of salted roasted peanuts
- 1 cup of shredded dry coconut (you can finely chop dried coconut flakes)
- 1 lime
- 1 red onion
- 2 spoons of sugar
- Optional: finely chopped ginger
- Whisk the paste from the shredded coconut. Heat a skillet and dry fry the coconut until golden brown. Add sugar and water. Simmer for about 5 minutes until the mixture has a marmalade-like texture. Remove from heat.
- Grind the peanuts in a mixer or cut them into small pieces. Roasting the peanuts adds a rich, nutty flavor.
- Finely chop the red onion. Peel and chop the lime into small pieces.
- Arrange individual young salad leaves and bok choy leaves on a plate. Start with a layer of the coconut paste on each leaf. Add a little bit of onion, a piece of lime, and some chopped peanuts on top. Add finely chopped ginger if you like. Serve immediately, especially the bok choy leaves, which wilt quickly.
Love bak choy! This looks lovely!! So delicious!
My family loved this!