Side dishes to spice up vegan lettuce wraps

February 8, 2019 10:44 AM

My dinner guest tonight is vegan, and I’m celiac. I’m planning the main menu item to be vegan lettuce wraps with peanut sauce and tofu or soy curls, carrots, cucumber, avocado, shiitakes, and vermicelli noodles for the filling. What side dishes should I make to go with it?

Normally I’d go with miso soup but this particular person doesn’t like miso. Maybe a green salad with shiitake ginger dressing, but that feels like salad with our salad... Mango sticky rice? But I might not be able to find ripe mangoes in winter. I’d prefer to have three dishes total. Help me with delicious ideas, please!

posted by cnidaria to Food & Drink (10 answers total)

Maybe thinly sliced sweet potatoes, roasted in the oven, with something sweet and spicy on them like maple syrup or honey + cayenne powder?
posted by nouvelle-personne at 10:48 AM on February 8, 2019 [1 favorite]

Use riced cauliflower for the filling instead of the vermicelli and do noodle side?

Or some edamame or sugar snap peas. Possible omit the carrots from the wraps and do roasted carrots?
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 10:50 AM on February 8, 2019

Maybe a fried rice? And sunomono or another pickled vegetable type dish?
posted by Lyn Never at 10:50 AM on February 8, 2019

I'd do blistered or roasted green beans (until they're crispy!) for one.
posted by something something at 10:51 AM on February 8, 2019 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I've made lettuce wraps with various fillings and done peanut/sesame noodle salad and fridge pickles (salt, sugar, rice vinegar, water, sliced cucumber, couple of hours in the fridge) on the side. You could leave the vermicelli out of the wraps and bulk up with some diced water chestnuts, great texture.
posted by wellred at 10:58 AM on February 8, 2019 [1 favorite]

Best answer: This Thai-inspired carrot coconut soup is easily veganized and delicious!
posted by nuclear_soup at 11:06 AM on February 8, 2019

100% buckwheat soba noodles with peanut sauce and some veggies, and make a tamari or bragg's amino acid dipping sauce for the lettuce wraps.
posted by missmary6 at 11:49 AM on February 8, 2019

I'm a big fan of this spiced lentil soup recipe. It's reasonably quick & easy to make.
posted by alex1965 at 12:02 PM on February 8, 2019

Response by poster: I think I'm going to go with keeping the vermicelli separate for a noodle salad, and maybe make some fridge pickles. Also going to make a vegan Thai iced tea, perhaps with rum as the recipe suggests.

Next time: carrot coconut soup, definitely.

Thanks everyone, all of these options sound delicious.
posted by cnidaria at 12:59 PM on February 8, 2019 [1 favorite]

I love all these suggestions. I would add for sides: assorted pickled vegetables, steamed in-shell edamame with sea salt. Make sure you use gluten-free tamari in place of soy sauce for any sauce or seasoning. Shirataki noodles might be a workable sub for the vermicelli. Btw, this all sounds delicious. I'm getting hungry!!
posted by bzooty at 4:58 PM on February 8, 2019