What is a lettuce wrap?
A lettuce wrap is when you swap out using a regular burger bun or traditional tortilla and replace it with fresh crunchy lettuce. It is a new trend the past year that is hitting the UK by storm as it provides a great alternative to vegans and vegetarians as often the bun doesn’t quite mix well with the vegetables when there is no meat.
Fun fact: Lettuce wraps originated in China and have since spread to Southeast Asia and now are super popular in Thailand.
Why are lettuce wraps so popular?
They are a great option for lunches as they have endless potential as they are simple and easy to integrate with various flavourings and foods. The standard hamburger bun could contain around 200 calories so lettuce wraps are a great way of reducing the amount of carbohydrates you are consuming to ultimately help you to make healthier choices.
What kind of lettuce is used for a lettuce wrap?
The best type of lettuce are the versions with the thick rips on each leaf such as iceberg. Each leaf needs to be deep enough to hold a filling so no floppy thin lettuce please!
Our favourite lettuce wrap recipe
One of my favourite all time recipes is the Sticky Pork lettuce Wrap. This is utterly divine and refreshing and only 85 calories per serving and this recipe serves 4! Why not have the whole thing? It also only takes 20 mins to prepare and 10 minutes to cook and then its ready to eat!
The ingredients for your lettuce wrap are:
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- A pinch of cinnamon
- 4 thin-cut pork loin steaks
- 1 grated carrot
- 1 lime juiced
- A pinch of golden caster sugar
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
- ½ cucumber (cut into matchsticks)
- 16 soft lettuce leaves
- Sweet chilli sauce (to serve)
Your lettuce wrap method
STEP 1
Mix together the soy, honey, sugar and 1 tbsp of water to create the marinade for the pork. In a bowl add this to the pork until it is fully coated then leave to marinade. This step totally depends on you and your time capacities but we would recommend leaving it for approximately 30 minutes to marinate for the best favour.
STEP 2
Line the grill pan with oiled tin foil and grill the pork steaks for 4 mins on each side and when cooked cut the pork into strips. While the pork is cooking, mix the carrot with the lime juice and caster sugar.
STEP 3
Now is the fun part! Place the lettuce leaves out and divide the pork between them. Add a little bit of the grated carrot and cucumber and carefully fold both ends of the lettuce leaf and roll it up to secure the wrap. It is best served with sweet chilli sauce to give it that extra kick.
Lettuce wraps are a bit of a vibe in 2022 so make sure you hop on this trend and make these delicious wraps for you and your friends! Lettuce is a great option if you want to make healthier choices this year and if you want to support local and source sustainably, check out Willowbrook Farms.