Thai Vegetable Wraps with Tamarind Dipping Sauce
Crisp collard green wraps stuffed with cabbage in a creamy almond butter-lime sauce, mango, carrots, sprouts, crunchy cashews, and handfuls of fresh herbs, with a sweet-and-sour tamarind sauce for dipping.
Yield: 12 wraps · Active: 45 min · Total: 1 hour · Year-round (mangoes are imported in North America; see the seasonal swaps) · Best eaten: midday
Ingredients
Tamarind dipping sauce
⅓ cup tamarind paste (or soaked and strained tamarind pulp)
¼ cup warm water
3 tbsp maple syrup or raw honey
1 tbsp coconut aminos
Pinch of Baja Gold sea salt
Optional: 1 tsp toasted sesame oil, and a pinch of chili flakes
Almond butter cabbage filling
½ head Savoy cabbage, finely shredded
1 cup almond butter
¼ cup maple syrup or raw honey
½ cup fresh lime juice (or lemon)
2 tbsp fresh ginger, chopped
1 tbsp fresh red chile, chopped (keep the seeds for more heat)
1½ tbsp coconut aminos
Water, to thin
Cashew topping
½ cup cashews (soaked and dried "crispy" cashews, if you have them), chopped
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
½ tsp Baja Gold sea salt
Fillings
6 very large collard green leaves
1 large carrot, julienned
1 small ripe mango, cut into thin batons
2 cups fresh bean sprouts
½ cup cilantro leaves
½ cup Thai basil leaves (or sweet basil)
¼ cup mint leaves
Seasonal swaps for the mango: Mangoes grow in the tropics, so in northern climates they're always shipped in. For a more local wrap, use thin batons of crisp apple or Asian pear in fall and winter, or cucumber in summer.
Method
Make the dipping sauce. Whisk (or blend) the tamarind paste, warm water, maple syrup, coconut aminos, salt, and sesame oil and chili (if using) until smooth. Taste: it should be sweet, sour, and salty all at once. Add more sweetener or water to balance it, then pour it into a small bowl.
Make the cashew topping. Toss the chopped cashews with the sesame oil and salt.
Make the almond butter sauce. Blend the maple syrup, lime juice, ginger, chile, and coconut aminos, then add the almond butter and blend on low until combined. Add water 1 tbsp at a time, until it's as thick as cake batter.
Dress the cabbage. Toss the shredded cabbage with the almond butter sauce, using your hands or tongs, until it's thoroughly coated.
Prep the collards. Cut out the thick center rib of each leaf, dividing it into two halves, and pat them dry. (For more pliable leaves, blanch them in boiling water for 10–20 seconds, then plunge them into ice water and pat dry. Or, to keep each leaf whole, shave the rib down thin with a paring knife.)
Fill. Lay a collard half underside-up on a cutting board. Spread a few tablespoons of the cabbage across the bottom third, leaving 1½ inches clear at the bottom edge. Sprinkle with the cashew topping, then add a few sticks of carrot and mango, a pinch of sprouts, and a few leaves each of cilantro, basil, and mint.
Roll. Fold the bottom of the leaf up and over the filling, keeping it tight, tuck in the sides, and roll it forward into a cigar shape. Set it seam-side down on a platter, and repeat with the rest.
Serve right away, with the tamarind dipping sauce.
Storage: The wraps are best within an hour of rolling. The dipping sauce keeps refrigerated up to 5 days, and the dressed cabbage and other fillings can be prepped a day ahead; just assemble the wraps right before eating.
A note on honey: The raw honey in these sauces stays raw, since it's never heated. Honey shouldn't be given to babies under 12 months.
Nourishment Notes
Collard greens are what make this wrap a substantial dish rather than a flimsy roll. The leaves are large, sturdy, and pliable, so they hold the filling without tearing the way lettuce does, and they bring their own mild, earthy flavor. Removing (or shaving) the thick center rib is essential, since it's too tough to bite through cleanly. Collard wraps are a modern idea, and this Thai-inspired version is a fusion.
Tamarind is the signature sour of Thai cooking, with a sweet-and-tart flavor that no other ingredient quite reproduces. It comes from the pods of an evergreen tree native to tropical Africa, which has long been grown across India and Southeast Asia, and it's what gives pad thai, Indian chutneys, and many Caribbean dishes their tang. Tamarind paste is the easiest form to use; whole pulp needs to be soaked and strained.
The three fresh herbs give these wraps their complexity, each hitting a different note. Cilantro brings bright, citrusy notes (though some people carry a gene variant that makes it taste soapy), mint brings cool freshness, and Thai basil brings an anise-like sweetness that sets it apart from Italian basil. It's the same flavor backbone behind Vietnamese summer rolls and Lao larb, where herbs are a main ingredient, not a garnish.
Collard greens — vitamin K, vitamin C, folate, calcium, and glucosinolates.
Savoy cabbage — vitamin C, vitamin K, and glucosinolates, at their most potent raw.
Almond butter and cashews — vitamin E, magnesium, copper, and monounsaturated fats.
Mango — vitamin C, vitamin A, and folate.
Carrots — beta-carotene, made more absorbable by the fats in the sauce.
Bean sprouts — vitamin C, folate, and a fresh crunch.
Ginger and chile — gingerols and capsaicin.
Tamarind — polyphenols, potassium, and magnesium.
Lime — vitamin C, which helps your body absorb the iron in the greens.
For your cycle: These light, fresh, raw wraps are especially lovely in the follicular and ovulatory phases, and the greens' folate and the almonds' magnesium support every phase. Pair them with grilled chicken or shrimp for a more filling meal.
Sourcing
Collard greens — organic, with large, unblemished leaves, from a farmers' market
Savoy cabbage, carrots, ginger, chiles, herbs, and limes — organic, from a farmers' market or Asian grocer
Mango — organic and ripe (or seasonal apples, Asian pears, or cucumbers)
Bean sprouts — organic and very fresh, from a trusted grower; use them within a day or two
Tamarind paste — 100% tamarind, with no added sugar or preservatives, from an Asian or Indian grocer
Almond butter — organic, made from just almonds (sprouted almond butter if you can find it)
Cashews — organic (every cashew sold has been heat-treated, even "raw" ones)
Coconut aminos — organic and soy-free, like Coconut Secret
Toasted sesame oil — organic and cold-pressed, in glass
Maple syrup and raw honey — organic Grade A dark maple syrup; organic, local, unfiltered raw honey
Baja Gold sea salt
— Anna aka Food Marshall