
Laab is the perfect summer food and is something I crave when I want a meal that is warm and filling, but still refreshing and light. The flavoursome mushrooms and tofu are cooked with a powerful punch of ginger and garlic, then spooned into lettuce cups and laden with fragrant herbs, bringing you a South-East Asian flavour bomb that is irresistibly moreish.
If you haven’t cooked with Thai basil or Vietnamese mint before, I implore you to try them as their flavours really make this recipe.
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp sambal oelek
1 tsp maple syrup
1⁄3 cup soy sauce
3 tbsp olive oil
3 spring onions (scallions), trimmed, white parts cut into thin rounds
1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, peeled, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
150 g mixed mushrooms, cleaned, finely chopped, no need to be too exact in the chopping
450 g firm tofu, drained and pressed, then crumbled
1 tbsp toasted black sesame seeds
2 heads gem lettuce (bibb lettuce), leaves separated, washed and dried
Handful asian herbs, fresh, such as thai basil, vietnamese mint and coriander (cilantro), leaves picked
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To make the sauce, mix the , , , , and together in a small cup or jar and then set aside.
For the filling, heat the in a large frying pan over a medium–high heat. Add the and and cook for a couple of minutes until fragrant,
Add the , and and cook for 5–10 minutes, stirring frequently, until all the liquid from the mushrooms has been released and has evaporated.
Stir in the sauce and cook for a further 5 minutes until the starts to brown. Stir in the , remove from the heat and spoon the filling into cups. Garnish with to serve.
Any leftover tofu mixture will keep well in the fridge for up to 2 days. It also makes an excellent dumpling filling.