Pan frying chopped tofu and drenching it in a yummy sauce is my new favorite tofu technique. It’s so easy and as I think about the sauce options, the variations are totally endless! Today I made these Hoisin Tofu Lettuce Cups with a few simple ingredients, many of which I already had on hand (What, you don’t have random half empty bottles of hoisin sauce in your fridge?)
And don’t worry, if you’re not into lettuce cups, you can totally serve this as a bowl meal. You’ll just need more rice, and maybe some diced red bell pepper to bulk them out a bit, but it will be just as yummy and a little less fussy. ;)
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Freezing Tofu
An extra, optional step to this recipe is to freeze and thaw your tofu before you begin. I like to place my package of tofu in the freezer right when I get home from the store and then the next day place it back in the refrigerator to thaw, so it’s ready a day or so later, or whenever I get around to using it. What is the benefit of freezing tofu? It completely changes the texture, making it more firm and less jelly-like. It also makes it super easy to just squeeze the liquid out with your hands, rather than having to wait 30 minutes or so while the delicate tofu presses. Try it some time. It really does make a difference!
Make Your Hoisin Tofu Lettuce Cups Spicy
You guys know I like my food spicy. The version of the recipe below is non-spicy, but can easily be converted for those who like to breathe fire (or if you just want a little tingle). Either drizzle sriracha over each cup to your liking, or add a pinch or two of red pepper flakes when adding the hoisin sauce to the tofu. Personally, I’m going to go for the sriracha.
Hoisin Tofu Lettuce Cups
Servings 4 2 cups eachIngredients
- 14 oz. extra firm tofu ($1.79)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch ($0.08)
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.08)
- 1/2 cup hoisin sauce ($0.89)
- 2 green onions ($0.25)
- 1 carrot ($0.15)
- 1/4 cup peanuts ($0.12)
- 1 cup cooked rice ($0.25)
- 1 head lettuce* ($2.49)
Instructions
- Remove your tofu from the package and place it between two plates or rimmed baking sheets. Place something heavy on top, like a cast iron skillet, to weigh it down and press out the excess liquid. Let the tofu press for about 30 minutes. Pour off the liquid and pat the tofu dry with a paper towel.
- Roughly chop the block of tofu into small, irregular shapes. Place the chopped tofu in a bowl and sprinkle with salt and 1 Tbsp cornstarch. Fold the tofu and cornstarch together until coated, then add a second tablespoon of cornstarch and fold again.
- Heat the cooking oil in a large non-stick skillet (cast iron or teflon, your choice) over medium. Once hot, add the cornstarch coated tofu. Allow the tofu to cook until golden brown on the bottom, then stir and let cook until golden brown on bottom again. Repeat this process until most of the tofu is golden and crispy on the edges (about 10 minutes total), then remove it from the heat.
- Add the hoisin sauce to the fried tofu and stir to coat. Slice the green onion and shred the carrot. Roughly chop the peanuts.
- To build the lettuce cups, spoon 1-2 Tbsp cooked rice into each lettuce leaf, top with 1-2 Tbsp of the hoisin tofu, then sliced green onion, shredded carrot, and chopped peanuts. Enjoy!
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Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Tofu Lettuce Cups – Step by Step Photos
Remove a 14oz. block of extra firm tofu from its package and place it between two plates or rimmed baking sheets. Place something heavy on top, like a cast iron skillet, to allow the excess liquid to be pressed out. Press the tofu for 30 minutes, then pour off the liquid and pat it dry with a paper towel. If you have previously frozen and thawed your tofu, you can literally just squeeze the block between your hands and the liquid will just pour out. No need to let it press for 30 minutes.
Roughly chop the tofu into small, irregular shaped pieces.
Place the chopped tofu in a bowl and add 1/4 tsp salt and 1 Tbsp cornstarch. Fold the ingredients together until the tofu is coated, then add a second tablespoon of cornstarch and fold again.
Heat 2 Tbsp cooking oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium (cast iron or teflon, they both work). Once the skillet and oil are very hot, add the cornstarch coated tofu. Let it cook until golden brown on the bottom, then stir and let it cook until golden brown again. Repeat this process until most of the tofu is golden brown and crispy (about 10 minutes total). Remove the tofu from the heat.
Add about 1/2 cup hoisin sauce to the tofu and stir to coat.
And there’s your hoisin tofu! Easy, right?
While the tofu is cooking, you can prepare the rest of the toppings. Roughly chop 1/4 cup peanuts, slice two green onions, and shred one carrot (I use a large-holed cheese grater).
To build the lettuce cups, place 1-2 Tbsp cooked rice in each lettuce leaf…
Then top with 1-2 Tbsp of the hoisin tofu, some shredded carrot, sliced green onions, and chopped peanuts.
And that’s it! Time to dig in!
These are 10/10 amazing!!! Highly recommend using crunchy chow mein noodles instead of rice and mixing them in with the tofu and hoisin sauce.
loved this! so easy, simple, lots of ingredients I was already buying to use in other meals of the week. Supped hoison for some jarred yakitori sauce – I imagine you can really play around with the sauce selection, will try oyster sauce next time, so yummy! 10/10
I froze the tofu for this and was seriously amazed at how spongy it became, so satisfying to be able to squeeze with my hands. This also made the tofu SUPER crispy and amazing, my boyfriend said it almost tasted like pork. Can’t wait to try this method with the BBQ tofu sliders recipe.
This recipe was a hit at our house this evening. I made it along with the sesame slaw recipe. So yummy and they both looked gorgeous, fresh, and fun on the table. My kids gobbled this tofu up! We will be adding this to our meal rotation!
This recipe was quick, easy, and flavorful. I used what I had on hand, so I kept the tofu the same way as instructed, but served it on a bed of chopped up romaine lettuce and quinoa. I added some chopped walnuts instead of peanuts, too, because it’s what I had in the cupboard. Dinner felt satisfying, yet light and healthy. I like how easy it is to adapt this recipe and include other things, too, like I did.
That’s awesome when you just go with what you have on hand!
I loved this! Â I made it without most of the extra ingredients (no rice, green onions or peanuts) and it was still delicious with just the tofu/hoisin/lettuce wraps. Â I added some garlic chili sauce to balance out the sweet hoisin. Â It was awesome. Â It would definitely be better with the extras or it would make a great lunch as a rice bowl. Â I will be making this again. Â Thanks for another great recipe!
Super yummy and easy!! The tofu-pressing tip really helped. I added chili paste and it added a nice kick. Amazing as always Beth, thank you for veggie friendly recipes!!
This recipe hit the spot when I craved Chinese take out. It will definitely make it into our regular rotation.
Delicious and easy! I will be making this one again. I loved making this in taco bar style so everyone can add their own toppings.Â
I made a significant alteration to this recipe because tofu and my gut do not get along. I used canned cannellini beans and it turned out great. I also used chopped walnuts instead of peanuts because that’s what I had.  Delicious!
Thanks for another winner!
Oh, what a great idea! Thank you. I can’t eat tofu either. Beth has so many great sounding tofu recipes which I have had to skip because I couldn’t think of a substitute item for the tofu. There’s always chicken and eggs but it’s nice to know of a vegetarian substitute for tofu in order to keep the price down,