Cheesecake Factory Thai Lettuce Wraps

By jenniferj

The Cheesecake Factory serves one of the best appetizers you’ll ever find. With all of the different ingredients and sauces, these lettuce wraps are perfect for sharing with a group. These also make a great dish for bringing to a pot luck.

Ingredients

• THAI CHICKEN SATAYS:
• 6 to 8 butter lettuce leaves
• 2 red cabbage leaves, cut in half vertically
• Thai chicken satays (recipe below)
• Julienned carrots
• Sesame bean sprouts (recipe below)
• Thai coconut curry noodles (recipe below)
• Thai marinated cucumbers (recipe below)
• 1 tablespoon roasted peanuts, chopped
• Tamarind cashew dipping sauce (recipe below)
• Thai peanut sauce (recipe below)
• Sweet red chili sauce (recipe below)
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
• 3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons water
• 4 green onions, cut into 1″ pieces
• 8 bamboo skewers (10 to 12 inches)
• BEAN SPROUTS:
• 1 1/2 cups bean sprouts
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, roasted
• THAI COCONUT CURRY NOODLES:
• 12 ounces fresh egg noodles
• 1 tablespoon garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon red curry paste
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 pinch turmeric powder
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• THAI MARINATED CUCUMBERS:
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 large cucumber, seeded
• TAMARIND CASHEW DIPPING SAUCE:
• 1/4 cup cashews, chopped
• 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 3 teaspoon honey
• 6 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon tamarind pulp
• 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
• PEANUT SAUCE:
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons water
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon chili oil
• SWEET CHILI DIPPING SAUCE:
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1/4 cup hot water
• 2 tablespoon sugar
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon red chili paste

Details

Servings 8
Preparation time 30mins
Cooking time 240mins

Preparation

Step 1

THAI CHICKEN SATAY:

Cut chicken into 3/4″ strips and place in a shallow glass dish. Combine soy sauce, lime juice, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Add water and mix thoroughly.

Pour over chicken. Toss to coat all of the chicken pieces. Cover and marinade in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Soak bamboo skewers 20 minutes in cold water to keep them from burning. Drain the chicken and reserve the marinade.

Weave the chicken strips onto each skewers, alternation with green onion pieces. You may need to use several pieces to cover each skewer.

Brush chicken and onions with reserved marinade. Grill the skewers on an uncovered grill over medium-high heat for 6 to 8 minutes, turning halfway through the grilling.

BEAN SPROUTS:

Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the bean sprouts along with the other ingredients.
Cook over a medium-high heat until the bean sprouts are tender. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

THAI COCONUT CURRY NOODLES:

Place the noodles in hot water, separating with a fork. Let the noodles soak until tender or according to the directions on the package. Drain and keep warm.

In a medium saucepan, heat the coconut milk on low heat and slowly stir in the curry paste. When it begins to simmer, add in the remaining ingredients. Continue to simmer for approximately 2 minutes. Stir in the noodles and serve.

THAI MARINATED CUCUMBERS:

Combine the vinegar, sugar, water and salt in a small pan. Cook over a medium heat, stirring until it boils and the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature.
Peel the cucumber and cut lengthwise into quarters and again crosswise into 1/8″ slices. Place in a serving bowl and pour marinade over cucumbers, stirring to blend. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.

TAMARIND CASHEW DIPPING SAUCE:

Combine cashews, hoisin sauce, garlic, green onion, cayenne pepper and black pepper in a blender or food processor and mix until smooth.
In a small sauce pan add oil, honey, rice wine vinegar and tamarind pulp. Heat at medium for 1 minute. Stir until the tamarind pulp is completely dissolved. Add this to the cashew mixture and process until smooth. Pour into a serving bowl and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

PEANUT SAUCE:

Combine peanut butter, water, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, and chili oil in a small saucepan. Stir mixture over a medium heat until it begins to bubble. Cover the pan and remove from the heat.

SWEET CHILI DIPPING SAUCE:

Combine the rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, hot water, sugar, lime juice, garlic and chili paste in a blender. Puree until smooth. Pour into bowls and serve.

To put everything together in your lettuce wraps:

Remove the hard stems from the bottom of each leaf of lettuce. Wash and dry the leaves and arrange in a group on a larger platter. Remove 2 red cabbage leaves, wash and dry and slice in half vertically. Arrange on the serving platter and fill with each one of the fillings (chicken, bean sprouts, thai coconut curry noodles and marinated cucumbers).

Let your friends or family create their own lettuce wraps by choosing a filling or fillings and placing it on a leaf along with a choice of sauce.

Fold the leaf in half and enjoy!