Have you ever heard of lettuce wraps? It’s a lettuce sandwich, where the lettuce replaces the bread.
This is an extremely low-carb meal, that’s delicious and easy to make. The perfect diet food for those who are weight conscious!
What are Lettuce Wraps?
Just as the name suggests, the lettuce wraps are a dish where lettuce is used to wrap around meat fillings like a burrito. Only instead of a tortilla wrap, it is a fresh lettuce leaf instead. This is a dish that has a combination of crunchy leaves, tender meats, and savoury sauces.
There are many types of fillings you can eat with this dish. Beef and chicken are the more common fillings. Besides that, other fillings include seafood, vegetables, and cheese.
The sauce used for the fillings also varies greatly depending on the region and country you visit. Most commonly, barbecue sauce, garlic sauce, and teriyaki sauce are used.
Lettuce wraps are usually served open, where the fillings are not fully covered. However, most Asian countries prefer to wrap the fillings completely with the lettuce before serving.
There are thousands and limitless possibilities for this dish. Lettuce wraps are extremely versatile and hence, loved by many.
Its History
This dish has been around for more than a thousand years, with origins rooting from Southeast Asia. However, it has only recently become popular across the United States and Europe.
The first lettuce sandwich was documented in 1894. However, it refers to a regular sandwich with lettuce fillings. Only during the first half of the 20th century did lettuce wraps become more popular, and more well documented. This is due to a rise in public awareness of low carb diets, causing a rise in popularity for this dish.
Health Benefits
As mentioned before, lettuce wraps are a low carb dish. It replaces the bread in your average sandwich with lettuce leaves instead. Hence, it’s an excellent diet meal for those who want to lose weight.
You might think that this dish will be unfulfilling, but there are various fillings available from chicken satay to tofu to fill you up instead. It is a versatile meal that can satisfy all your needs.
If you don’t feel like changing the filling, you can also opt to switch up the types of lettuce leaves you use to create variety instead. Different lettuce leaves have different flavours and textures. Typically, iceberg lettuce leaves are used for most lettuce wraps; but you can experiment with romaine, red leaf or spinach for a unique flavour.
Where to find Lettuce Wraps in Malaysia
Lettuce Wraps can be quite hard to find in Malaysia. Most of the time it is usually just bread with lettuce fillings. However, there are some food stalls or kiosks dedicated to selling this versatile dish around KL.
You can get your lettuce wrap fix with chicken, lamb or vegetable fillings at Wrap’N Roll (Kuala Lumpur). Looking for other low carb meals? Find more on the foodpanda app today!