A Lighter, Lentil-Packed Satay Wrap

Margaret Occhipinti

Nothing says fresh and craveable like a Southeast Asian shrimp satay bursting with ginger, garlic, lime and soy flavors. Margaret Occhipinti, senior culinary director of LifeWorks, Aramark’s premier custom dining division, offers up her own inventive take: Shrimp & Lentil Wraps. “The layers of flavor build to create a lettuce wrap-style dish packed with umami and fresh vegetable notes, while remaining lighter than a typical shrimp cake-style satay,” she says.

Occhipinti blends cooked red lentils with shrimp, garlic, ginger, cilantro, scallion, Chinese five-spice and baking powder. She mixes in sesame oil, onion, tamari, lime zest, jalapeño, breadcrumbs and egg. After forming the filling into balls and threading them onto bamboo sticks, they’re pressed into satay-style patties, which are pan-seared and finished in the oven. For service, she lays a skewer-free shrimp and lentil cake upon a butter lettuce leaf, topping it with a bright cucumber-daikon slaw. The wraps are served with a classic peanut dipping sauce.

The technique of combining lentils with shrimp is a plant-forward strategy made popular by “the blend,” an initiative that sees plant-based proteins replacing a portion of the animal protein. “By adding a neutral lentil, we introduced a deep legume richness to the satay, while keeping the overall dish lighter by swapping out some of the protein,” says Occhipinti. “The flavor and composition of the dish remain familiar to our guests, which helps bring down the emotional cost of entry. The lentil content is a great marketing tool to reach guests interested in plant-forward dining.”

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