Recently I came across a recipe in one of my cookbooks for Vietnamese Pork and Lettuce
Cups that looked incredible. As per usual, the first thing I did was think
about how I could turn this scrumptious looking dish into something vegetarian
friendly. The usual ideas popped into my head, i.e. using mushrooms or eggplant in
place of the meat, but I’ve been wanting to try tofu for a while now and
decided that this would be the perfect opportunity.
Although I’ve had tofu plenty of times, I’ve never actually
cooked with it myself. To be honest, I was a little unsure about how it would
turn out and, specifically, whether or not it would mimic the crumbly texture
of ground pork, but a quick internet search regarding how to cook tofu gave me
the extra boost I needed to give it a shot.
The end result was surprisingly good, and although the
texture of the cooked tofu did not quite match what I saw in the original
recipe, it was nevertheless tasty. Fresh bell peppers, carrots, and peanuts added
a punch of color, gave the dish the crunch it needed, and also served to keep
everything together in the lettuce cups. The peanuts and bell peppers were not
in the original recipe, but paired well with the ginger and garlic and gave the
dish a little oomph! I will definitely be trying this one again soon.
