Vegan San Choy Bow

Name: Vegan San Choy Bow
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 2 teaspoons avocado oil; 300g (10.5oz) extra firm tofu; 1/2 cup spring onions, finely sliced; 1 medium carrot, grated; 250g (9oz) mushrooms, diced; 1 clove garlic, finely minced; 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated; 225g canned water chestnuts, diced; 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce; 1 teaspoon sesame oil; Lettuce wraps, chilli, crushed peanuts to serve

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Vegan san choy bow (lettuce wraps) featuring crumbled tofu and vegetables for a hearty filling with a luscious savoury sauce. It's a healthy, easy to make and ready under 15 minutes!

Five lettuce wraps on a plate topped with sliced chilli and crushed peanuts. Extra tofu filling is inn a bowl on the side.

This meat-free version of the Chinese restaurant favourite san chow bow is the perfect quick and easy dinner recipe!

We are keeping things nice and classic around here too. To keep them vegetarian, tofu is crumbled up like mince (aka ground meat) and cooked with lots of finely chopped vegetables in a yummy hoisin soy sauce. Then serve in lettuce wraps for the ultimate touch. I love topping mine with crushed roasted peanuts and freshly sliced chilli, but sriracha is also delicious too. They are so yum!

Vegan san choy bow lettuce wraps on a plate topped with sliced chilli and crushed peanuts. Extra tofu filling is inn a bowl on the side.

Ingredients you’ll need

This vegan san choy bow is filled with fresh veggies, some Asian seasonings and is perfect to meal prep.

Tofu: Use a firm or extra firm tofu, NOT silken tofu. It needs to be firm enough so you can crumble it like mince / ground meat.
Vegetables: Carrot and mushrooms are the mix I’m using today. Love the texture the diced carrots give to the filling, and the savouriness the mushrooms bring. However, feel free to use what you’ve got! Any sauté-able vegetables will work fine.
Garlic and ginger: Our aromatics. Fresh is best in vegetarian dishes.
Spring onion (green onion): I prefer spring onions in asian dishes but a shallot will work too.
Sauces: We use a combination of soy sauce, hoisin sauce and sesame oil for a rich delicious authentic flavour.
Canned water chestnuts: They have a strong flavour, but the crunchy is the texture is a quintessential part of the Chinese lettuce wrap experience.
To serve: lettuce leaves, I like baby cos lettuce/ Bibb lettuce, crushed roasted peanuts and fresh chilli to garnish.

Ingredients shown to make vegetarian san choy bow.

How to make vegan san coy bow

Crumble tofu: Drain tofu and roughly chop into chunks. Then use your fingers to crumble into a mince. It will crumble with little effort. Don’t make the crumbs too fine, you can always break the tofu up more when cooking – just like cooking mince/ground meat!

Tofu veggie filling: In a large non stick pan, heat the oil over high heat then cook the tofu, spring onion, carrot, mushrooms, garlic, ginger, water chestnuts and tofu for 5 minutes. The mushrooms should be soft tender and “wilted”.

Sauce it! Pour in the soy sauce, hoisin sauce and sesame oil, then let it come to a simmer. Stir for 1 minute or until it thickens up.

Tofu veggie filling in a pan with a wooden spoon.

Tofu veggie filling in a pan with sauce.

Serving: Transfer the filling into a bowl. Put it out on the table with the lettuce leaves, crushed peanuts and sliced chilli. Then let everyone make their own wraps! Bundle / wrap or fold like tacos (for crisper lettuce leaves) then devour!

Tips and variations

Use fresh ginger and garlic. The flavour is stronger and tastes so much better fresh in these vegetarian san choy bow compared to dried powders.
Make it spicy. Add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes or chilli sauce to the tofu filling.
Not a fan of tofu? Use canned brown lentils instead or omit and use 1kg of mushrooms.

How to store leftovers

Refrigerator: Leftover tofu filling can be stored in a large container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Reheat: Warm tofu filling on the stovetop over low heat or use the microwave in 30-60 second intervals, stirring in between, until warm.

Side shot of vegan lettuce wraps on a plate topped with sliced chilli and crushed peanuts.

Recipe FAQ

What is the best type of lettuce for lettuce wraps?

You can use any type of green leafy lettuce for lettuce wraps, but popular types of lettuce include bib lettuce (cos lettuce), romaine hearts and iceberg lettuce.

What is the difference between Larb and San Choy Bow?

Firstly, larb originates from Laos whereas san choy bow is a Chinese dish, which influences the flavour profile of each of the dishes. Larb uses fish sauce, coriander and lime, whereas san choy bow is more umami in flavour thanks to soy sauce, hoisin sauce and sesame oil.

What can I use in place of hoisin sauce?

Replace hoisin sauce with oyster sauce (if vegetarian) or teriyaki sauce.

Five lettuce wraps on a plate topped with sliced chilli and crushed peanuts.

More meat free dinners

Vegetable Teriyaki Udon Noodles

Vegan Eggplant Rollatini

Honey Garlic Tofu & Broccoli

One Pot Vegan Orzo

If you try this vegan san choy bow recipe or have a question, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.