How To Make Crispy Sweet Potato Pancake Lettuce Wraps
Sweet potatoes and carrots are fried into crisp golden cakes to complete these delicious lettuce wraps. Serve with a savory and tangy dipping sauce!
Serves:
Ingredients
For Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce:
- 1tbspsugar,plus 1 tsp
- 2tbspresh lime juice
- ¼cupwarm water,or as needed
- 1tspunseasoned japanese rice vinegar,optional
- 2tbspfish sauce
- 1Thai or serrano chile,thinly sliced, keep seeds intact or, 1 to 1½ tsp) chile garlic sauce or sambal oelek, optional, good for heat
- 1clovegarlic,minced, optional, good for pungency
For Pancakes And Garniches:
- 3cupswhite sweet potato,(12 oz), grated, buy a one pounder for easy prep
- 1cupcarrot,(3½ oz), grated, start from a 4 oz carrot
- ½tsprounded fine sea salt
- 3tbspgreen onion,finely chopped, lightly packed, green and white parts
- ¼tspfreshly ground black pepper
- 2tspfish sauce
- 1tbspcornstarch
- 3tbspwhite or brown rice flour,such as Bob’s Red Mill or all purpose flour
- 1large egg
- ⅓cupcanola,or other neutral oil
- 1leaves from head of soft leaf lettuce,such as butter, boston, or red leaf
- 8bushy sprigs mint,basil, or other soft leaf herbs
- 12sprigs cilantro
Instructions
Nuoc Cham:
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Combine 1 tablespoon of the sugar, 1½ tablespoons of the lime juice, and the water.
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Taste the limeade, and if needed, add the remaining 1 teaspoon sugar and/or 1½ teaspoons lime juice; dilute with water if needed. If there’s an unpleasant tart-bitter edge, add the vinegar to rounds things out.
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Finally, add the fish sauce to create a bold, forward finish. If desired, add the chiles and/or garlic. Set aside. This should yield ½ cup of nuoc cham and this can be made and refrigerated up to 8 hours before serving.
Pancakes:
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In a large bowl, combine the grated sweet potato, carrot, and salt. Massage with both hands for about 1 minute until wet and squishy.
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Transfer the grated veggies to a piece of muslin or a non-terry dish towel, and wrap the veggies in the towel. Standing over the sink, firmly squeeze and twist to expel moisture.
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Dump the veggies into a dry bowl.
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Add the green onion, mixing with a fork to distribute well. Mix in the pepper, fish sauce, cornstarch, and rice flour. Add the egg, break it up with a fork, and mix well.
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Press the mixture down to compact it, and then divide into 8 portions like a pie using a ¼ cup measuring scoop.
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Warm a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, then add about 2 tablespoons of oil to film the bottom. Fry in two batches, 4 pancakes at a time.
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For each one, use a fork and fingers to scoop up the ¼ cup portions of the potato-and-carrot mixture (one wedge of the “pie”). Deposit into the skillet, spreading and flattening the mixture with the measuring cup bottom and fork to make a 3½-inch-wide pancake.
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Fry for about 3 minutes, until bits of the fringe-like edges are richly brown and crisp. Drizzle 2 to 3 teaspoons of oil on top of the pancakes, then wield 2 spatulas to carefully flip each one over. (The pancakes are delicate, so 2 spatulas are super handy.)
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Fry for about 3 minutes longer, until crisp and brown underneath. Cool on a rack. Fry the remaining batch.
To Assemble:
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Serve with lettuce, herbs, and sauce. Invite guests to build their own lettuce leaf wraps containing a piece of pancake (pass scissors or use forks/fingers to break up the pancakes into smaller pieces suitable for wrapping up) with 2 or 3 herb leaves and/or torn cilantro sprigs.
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Dip in the sauce and eat. These are really best the day they are made.
Nutrition
- Calories: 344.84kcal
- Fat: 19.92g
- Saturated Fat: 1.85g
- Trans Fat: 0.08g
- Monounsaturated Fat: 12.06g
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 5.58g
- Carbohydrates: 37.74g
- Fiber: 6.21g
- Sugar: 9.65g
- Protein: 5.68g
- Cholesterol: 46.50mg
- Sodium: 1048.35mg
- Calcium: 110.31mg
- Potassium: 680.25mg
- Iron: 4.12mg
- Vitamin A: 1056.37µg
- Vitamin C: 13.21mg
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