PF Chang-ed Raw Walnut Asian Lettuce Wraps

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1 Raw Asian Walnut Lettuce Wraps with Hoisin - Whole Foods, Plant-Based Vegan Recipe from Plants-Rule
Raw Asian Walnut Lettuce Wraps with Hoisin – Whole Foods, Plant-Based Vegan Recipe from Plants-Rule

These raw Asian Lettuce Cups are filled with a plant-based walnut filling.  A homemade Chinese Hoisin sauce and quick vegan slaw add bold flavor and crunchy texture.  The perfect recipe for when you don’t want to turn on the oven!

Vegan-ized PF Chang Lettuce Wraps

This recipe for lettuce wraps is based off a popular dish at PF Chang’s.  While the restaurant’s version uses ground chicken for the filling, my plant-based version uses ground walnuts.  Coarsely grinding the walnuts gives you a vegan-ized meat-substitute for ground meat.  The healthy fats in the walnuts help add satisfying, hearty flavor.  Plus, the coarse texture is perfect for absorbing a homemade Chinese Hoisin sauce.

Raw Asian Walnut Lettuce Wraps with Hoisin - Whole Foods, Plant-Based Vegan Recipe from Plants-Rule
Raw Asian Walnut Lettuce Wraps with Hoisin – Whole Foods, Plant-Based Vegan Recipe from Plants-Rule

Ground Walnuts as a Whole Foods, Plant-Based Meat Subsitute

You can use this trick for ground walnuts to replace ground meat to create whole foods, plant-based versions of your favorite recipes. I love it for 5-Minute Raw Walnut Mushroom Vegan Tacos. You can also use it as a filling for stuffed peppers. Or, cook with tomato sauce for a delicious Italian Bolognese.

What is Chinese Hoisin Sauce?

Hoisin sauce is a condiment popular in Chinese cooking.  Traditionally made from soybean paste, different recipes will include garlic, sesame oil, chilies, and vinegar.  Hoisin combines sweet, salty, and umami elements.  Also sometimes called Chinese Barbecue sauce, it is used as a marinade, dipping sauce, and is the traditional glaze on Peking Duck.

Raw Asian Walnut Lettuce Wraps with Hoisin - Whole Foods, Plant-Based Vegan Recipe from Plants-Rule
Raw Asian Walnut Lettuce Wraps with Hoisin – Whole Foods, Plant-Based Vegan Recipe from Plants-Rule

How to make an Oil-Free, Plant-Based Hoisin

While you can often find Hoisin sauce at Asian supermarkets and online, it can be quite expensive.  Making your own is the best way to experience the flavor.  Besides using plant-based, whole foods ingredients, the fresh version will taste much more delicious than a jarred version.

There a few main components to a good, homemade Hoisin sauce:

  • Salty – This is the most assertive flavor in a traditional Hoisin.  Honestly, I find some jarred hoisins to be way too salty – almost like liking a black salt spoon.  For my recipe, I downplay the salty flavor.  Tamari stands in for salt.  However, you can use soy sauce or coconut aminos instead.
  • Sweet – Some recipes will use honey or sugar, but this whole foods plant-based recipe uses pitted deglet noor dates.  The dates do double-duty to also thicken the sauce so it’s more paste-like.
  • Tangy – This comes from the Chinese Five Spice.  Chinese Five Spice includes fennel, clove, cinnamon, star anise, and Szechuan pepper.  The combination is full of bold, umami flavor
  • Pungent – Traditionally, this funky flavor comes from bean paste.  For this recipe, a little bit of miso helps add that funky flavor.  You could also use another fermented paste like Gochujang.

How to use Plant-Based Chinese Hoisin Sauce

Think of Hoisin sauce as Chinese Barbecue sauce.  You can use it as a glaze on grilled or roasted vegetables.  It is delicious as a sauce of Mini BBQ Lentil Loaves.  You can also use it as a sauce for a quick stir-fry, pour it over a Black Forbidden Rice bowl, and use it as a dip for Nori Rainbow Wraps.  Or, just use it as a dip for Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges.  It will keep in your fridge for up to 10 days.  Freeze for longer.

Raw Asian Walnut Lettuce Wraps with Hoisin - Whole Foods, Plant-Based Vegan Recipe from Plants-Rule
A quick, crunchy Asian slaw comes together with shredded veggies, water chestnuts, scallions, and Hoisin sauce

What is Chinese Five Spice?

Chinese Five Spice is a combination of five basic spices: fennel, cinnamon, star anise, clove, and Sichuan peppercorns. Some variations might include cassia (a different variety of cinnamon) or different varieties of pepper (like white pepper). The history of this powder is a little murky, but one theory calls it a “Wonder Powder” that encompasses the five elements (fire, wood, water, earth, and metal).

You can find Chinese Five Spice Powder online, in Asian groceries, or in the spice aisle of many regular grocery stores. You can also make your own.

For more on how to use spices, check out:

Spice Essentials Guide: Chef’s Tips for How to Use Spices for Delicious, Healthy Cooking

Watch this Video to Find out why Nuts are on Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen Checklist:


You’ll Love this Healthy, Plant-Based PF Chang-ed Raw Walnut Asian Lettuce Wraps Pears Recipe! It is:

  • Packed with Bold Chinese Flavor!
  • Quick and Easy to make
  • Refreshing and Light
  • Perfect for when you don’t feel like turning on the oven
  • Impressive enough for a cocktail party or summer barbecue
Raw Asian Walnut Lettuce Wraps with Hoisin - Whole Foods, Plant-Based Vegan Recipe from Plants-Rule
Serve this lettuce wraps as an elegant appetizer at a dinner party.

Chef Katie’s Healthy, Plant-Based Cooking Tips:

No Refined Sugar or Syrup? I’m on a mission to get rid of empty calories.  This recipe don’t use any refined sugar, maple syrup, or other refined sweetener. The dates provide plenty of sweetness, along with healthy fiber and essential nutrients

Make Ahead: The Walnut meat, Hoisin, and Slaw can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.  When ready to eat, assemble with the lettuce cups and mint just before serving.

Tamari vs. Soy Sauce:  Tamari is the gluten-free version of soy sauce.  Use it in this recipe to ensure a gluten-free recipe.  If gluten isn’t a concern for you, you can use either tamari or soy sauce.

Strictly Raw Version: For a strictly raw version of this recipe, you would need to use only certified-raw ingredients.  Tamari is not raw.  However, you can use raw coconut aminos instead.  If you can’t find a raw miso paste, you can omit this ingredient.  In place of the water chestnuts, you can use ¼ cup of fresh sliced radishes.


PF Chang-ed Raw Walnut Asian Lettuce Wraps

  • Easy
  • Ready In: 10 minutes
  • Servings: 4
1 Raw Asian Walnut Lettuce Wraps with Hoisin - Whole Foods, Plant-Based Vegan Recipe from Plants-Rule
Raw Asian Walnut Lettuce Wraps with Hoisin – Whole Foods, Plant-Based Vegan Recipe from Plants-Rule

If you like this recipe, you would also love: Black Forbidden Rice Asian Bowl with Tofu and Miso Cashew Sauce, 5-Minute Raw Walnut Mushroom Vegan Tacos, Chinese Double Garlic Broccoli Stir-Fry – Vegan, Plant-Based Recipe, and Five Spice Poached Pears and Figs.

PF Chang-ed Raw Walnut Asian Lettuce Wraps

These raw Asian Lettuce Cups are filled with a plant-based walnut filling. A homemade Chinese Hoisin sauce and quick vegan slaw add bold flavor and crunchy texture. The perfect recipe for when you don’t want to turn on the oven!
Course Appetizer, Entree, Lunch
Cuisine Asian, Chinese, Gluten-Free, Healthy, Raw, Vegan, Vegetarian
Keyword appetizer, asian, bold, finger food, healthy, healthy fat, lettuce, lunch box, oil-free, party food, plant-based, raw, refreshing, summer, vegan, vegetarian, wfpb, wraps
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 373kcal

Ingredients

Raw Asian Walnut “Meat” Filling

  • 1 10-ounce bag raw shelled walnuts (about 2 ½ cups)
  • 1 tablespoon tamari
  • 2 teaspoons fresh ginger
  • 3 scallions thinly sliced

Homemade Chinese Hoisin Sauce

  • ½ cup pitted dates 100g
  • ½ teaspoon Miso paste
  • 2 tablespoons tamari
  • 1 teaspoon unseasoned rice vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 cups water
  • Yield: 1 cup

Crunchy Asian Slaw

  • 1 can water chestnuts drained, rinsed, and sliced
  • 1 cup shredded red cabbage
  • 1 cup broccoli slaw
  • 3 scallions green tops only, thinly sliced
  • + ¼ cup Hoisin

Lettuce

  • 1 head Bibb or Butter Lettuce washed and dried
  • ¼ cup fresh mint leaves cleaned

Instructions

To make the Raw Asian Walnut “Meat” Filling:

  • In a blender, place half of the walnuts and all of the ginger. Pulse 1 or 2 times, until roughly chopped. It should resemble coarse, ground meat. Remove and repeat with the remaining walnuts. Combine both batch with the tamari and scallions. Clean out the blender.
  • To make the Homemade Chinese Hoisin Sauce:
  • Combine all ingredients in the blender: pitted dates, miso paste, tamari, rice vinegar, Chinese five-spice powder, smoked paprika, and water. Puree until smooth. The sauce should be quite thick, similar to a thick barbecue sauce. Taste and adjust as needed. If you need more salt, add more coconut aminos. For more spice, add more Chinese five spice, etc.

To make the Crunchy Asian Slaw:

  • In a medium bowl combine all of the slaw ingredients: water chestnuts, shredded cabbage, broccoli slaw, scallions, and Hoisin. Combine well, until everything is covered in sauce. You may need to use your hands to do this. You can add more sauce, depending on your tastes.

To assemble the PF Chang-ed Raw Walnut Asian Lettuce Cups:

  • Scoop out about ¼ cup of the Raw Asian Walnut Meat into a lettuce leaf. Top with a ¼ cup of the Crunchy Asian Slaw. Add a teaspoon or two of the Hoisin sauce, according to your taste. Top with fresh mint. Repeat with the remaining lettuce, walnut meat, and slaw.
  • Enjoy immediately.

Notes

Easy
Ready In: 10 minutes
Servings: 4

 


Nutrition Facts

Nutrition Facts
Servings 4.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 373
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 27 g 42 %
Saturated Fat 3 g 13 %
Monounsaturated Fat 3 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 18 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg 0 %
Sodium 731 mg 30 %
Potassium 574 mg 16 %
Total Carbohydrate 33 g 11 %
Dietary Fiber 7 g 30 %
Sugars 20 g  
Protein 10 g 19 %
Vitamin A 33 %
Vitamin C 25 %
Calcium 7 %
Iron 10 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.

Shopping and Gear List

  • The Spice Way Shanghai Chinese Five Spice
  • San-J Tamari Gluten Free Soy Sauce
  • Terrasoul Superfoods Organic Deglet Dates
 
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