Thai basil wraps are comfort food in Thailand and a few other Asian countries. They are often sold in Thai restaurants as a cheap and quick meal. Many restaurants bring the ingredients to the table so the diner can assemble their own wraps while they eat.
Rice wraps are generally found in the Asian section of most grocery stores. If going gluten free, check the ingredients to ensure that the rice wraps are gluten free. The first couple of times a person works with a rice wrap, it will tear. After assembling two or three wraps, the rest will be a lot easier.
Alternatively, you can use large raw leaves like kale, Swiss chard, collard (pictured above), mustard, cabbage, Napa, or other dinner plate or larger raw greens. Simply pour near-boiling water into a skillet large enough to accommodate the leaves, and then immerse leaves until desired pliability is achieved. Use tongs to manipulate and remove leaves from water, to avoid burns. (Fresh, raw lettuce leaves of any kind can be a great substitute too, simply omit the water part of the recipe, clean and dry the whole leaves thoroughly, and use as-is to wrap ingredients.)
Basic Thai Basil Wrap Recipes
Thai Basil Shrimp Wraps
- 10 rice wrappers
- 16-ounce package of cooked shrimp thawed
- 10 leaves of fresh basil
- 2-cups cooked rice
Thai Basil Salmon Salad Wraps
- 10 rice wrappers
- 10 leaves of fresh basil
- Salmon Salad recipe below
- 10 or more raw spinach leaves or red lettuce leaf tips
Thai Basil Vegan Crunchy Wraps
- 10 rice wrappers
- 10 leaves of fresh basil
- Legume Salad Recipe Below
- 10 or more raw spinach leaves or red lettuce leaf tips
Thai Basil Salad Wraps
- 10 rice wrappers
- 10 leaves of fresh basil
- 10 or more raw spinach leaves or red lettuce leaf tips
- Tomato-cucumber recipe below
Thai Basil Steak or Steak Wraps
- 10 rice wrappers
- 10 leaves of fresh basil
- 10 or more raw spinach leaves or red lettuce leaf tips
- Steak or Chicken Salad Recipe Below
Basic Thai Basil Wrap Salad Recipes
Salmon Salad recipe
- 1-12-ounce can of salmon or mackerel, drained, cleaned, and broken up
- 4-tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1-tablespoon spicy brown mustard
- 1-tablespoon chopped dill pickle or dill pickle relish
- 1/8-teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/8-teaspoon sea salt
- 1-teaspoon curry powder if using mackerel
Legume Salad Recipe
- 1-cup or more sprouted lentils or mung beans chopped
- 1 cucumber peeled and diced
- ½-cup diced tomato
- Handful chopped alfalfa or broccoli sprouts
- Few tablespoons salad dressing of choice
Tomato-cucumber recipe below
- ½-cup diced tomato
- ½-cup diced peeled cucumber
- 1 stalk celery diced
- Handful of favorite sprouts
- ½-cup carrots or zucchinis shredded
- 2-tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1-teaspoon lemon juice
Steak or Chicken Salad Recipe
- 1-cup cooked steak or chicken, diced
- ½-cup diced tomatoes
- Handful favorite sprouts chopped
- 2-tablepoons mayonnaise
- 1-teapsoon curry powder OR Mexican seasoning
Directions for all:
- Gently blend chosen salad recipe in a large bowl.
- Arrange the remaining ingredients in dishes on the counter for quick assembly.
- Fill a deep dinner plate with hot water.
- Set a second plate nearby to set the finished wraps on.
- Set a third plate between the two to arrange the individual wraps on
- Dip a wrapper into the water in the plate and distribute water on both sides evenly until wrapper is pliable.
- Carefully lay this wrapper on the third plate. Be careful to lay the wrapper out flat and not to tear it while working.
- Gently arrange the lettuce or spinach leaves out flat on one side of the wrapper. Arrange one or two whole basil leaves on top of the lettuce. This side will be referred to as the bottom later.
- Arrange a few tablespoons of the remaining ingredients on top of the lettuce or spinach.
- Carefully roll the bottom of the wrapper up halfway. Roll semi-tightly careful not to leave it loose or tear the wrapper.
- Fold the sides of the wrapper up towards the center, careful not to tear it.
- Finish rolling the bottom of the wrapper until the opposite end is against the plain side of the wrapper. If any ingredients remain on the top edge the wrapper will not stick to itself and therefore the wrapper will not hold together while holding it and eating it later.
- Carefully set this on the empty plate. The sticky-wet wrapper will dry and adhere to itself as it sets. Therefore, do not allow future rolls to touch while you are working on the remaining rolls.
- Allow rolls to rest for 10 to 15 minutes to “set” enough to be handled without falling apart.
These recipes serve two to three people.
This post is one of the Eating Garden Fresh series, where we bring you delicious, simple ways to enjoy garden fresh produce.
Go here to Submit a recipe of your own to the Eating Garden Fresh Guide.
