Asian Lime And Herbed Tofu In Lettuce Cups

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1/4 cup grated fresh ginger
• 1/4 cup fresh lemongrass, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce (read note*)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 3 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
• 1/2 cup english cucumber, peeled
• 1/4 cup scallion
• 1/4 cup firm tomato, diced
• 2 tablespoons fresh jalapenos, seeded and chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped (use thai or vietnamese basil if available)
• 1 lb firm tofu, drained, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (tofu can be weighed down under heavy pans to release the water content)
• 6 large butter lettuce leaves (or 12 medium sized)

Recipe

• 1 note*: nam pla or nuoc nam (fish sauce) is available in asian markets. i would strongly suggest to begin by using only 1 teaspoon of the fish sauce in this recipe and then adjust seasoning accordingly. for vegetarian version, omit the fish sauce.)
• 2 dressing: puree the first 5 ingredients in a blender. allow the mixture to stand at least 5 minutes or up to 1 hour. stir in chili sauce.
• 3 strain the dressing into a small bowl, pressing down the solids with a spatula to release the liquids. discard solids.
• 4 tofu: toss together the first 7 ingredients. next add the tofu and salad dressing, tossing to coat well.
• 5 for each serving, arrange 1 or 2 lettuce leaves on a plate. divide the tofu mixture onto the lettuce leaves.