A crunch wrap is made with flatbread like a tortilla that is assembled with a variety of toppings. You can select your favourite combination of grilled vegetables, cheeses, sauces, meats and more to get this one going. In fact, everyone in the household can pick their own toppings! Once folded, and grilled it turns into a convenient hand-held item that can be enjoyed with a satisfying crunch, no utensils needed! Taco Bell made this dish famous in 2005, by bringing it to the masses. Their Crunchwrap Supreme was originally introduced as a seasonal special. However, it became so popular that they gave it a permanent place on their menu. It’s a cross between a soft tortilla and a crunchy taco with a variety of gooey cheesy topping options laid out in layers.
Tiffinday Lentil Spinach Crunch Wrap
So we set out to make something similar using our Lentil Spinach Curry Stew which already goes well with flatbreads. It has a thick, smooth texture that allows it to be used as a sauce. It is also rich in protein from Toor-Daal (Pigeon Pea Lentils). We used fresh baby spinach and tart cheddar cheese as our toppings, and vegans can easily substitute the cheese with any of the plant-based versions available on the market.
The wrapping technique is what makes or breaks the crunch wrap. Once we got a hang of that, it became quite easy to assemble, grill, handle and eat. Our Lentil Spinach crunch wrap was utterly delicious!
In fact, we went on to experiment making the crunch wrap with our Chickpea and Kidney Bean Curry Stews as alternative toppings to the Lentil Spinach Stew, and they were all equally scrumptious.
Tiffinday Lentil Spinach Crunch Wrap
Makes 1 Crunch Wrap
- 1 jar Tiffinday Lentil Spinach Curry. You will have lots of leftovers to enjoy as a soup, dip, sauce or a heat-and-eat stew with rice the next day.
- 1 large tortilla, pita, roti or any flatbread that folds easily without breaking.
- 1 cup Shredded Cheddar (plant-based cheese equivalents will work). Select a variety that will melt but remain stringy.
- 4-6 washed and dried baby spinach leaves, or 1/2 cup shredded carrots for variety.
- 2 Tbsp Sunflower Oil or Butter.
- Complimentary dipping condiments like sweet & sour Thai sauce or Tamarind & Date sauce.
Crunch Wrap Folding & Grilling
Time needed: 15 minutes.
- Cut Line
Lay the flatbread on a clean counter and make one clean cut from the centre to the outer edge as shown in the diagram below:
- 1st Quadrant
Your flatbread has four quadrants. Use each one to add toppings of your choice to your crunch wrap. In the first one, we spread a generously thick layer of Tiffinday Lentil Spinach Curry Stew.
- 2nd Quadrant
Cover the second quadrant with a tart shredded cheddar. Vegans can substitute with a variety of plant-based cheeses available in stores
- 3rd Quadrant
We left this quadrant blank as it allowed us to handle the crunch wrap better while folding it. Adept users, however, can add a fourth complimentary item to this quadrant. Fried garlicky mushrooms work well, as does tofu crumble flavoured with a chilli miso oil.
- 4th Quadrant
Spread the spinach leaves (or shredded carrots) in the fourth quadrant, to the right of the cut line. You may add a dash of your favourite seasoning over the spinach leaves, like sweet and sour Thai sauce.
- Folding the Crunch Wrap
Now comes the fun part! First, take Quadrant 4 and gently lay it over the Lentil Spinach Curry in Quadrant 1. Then, carefully lift both those quadrants and flip them over Quadrant 2 to the left. Pat the layers down so all the cheese says in place. Now you can simply lift Quadrant 3 over the others. Your crunch wrap should feel relatively stable with nice firm layers.
- Making it Crunchy
The last step requires you to grill the wrap so it becomes crunchy. For this, preheat a sandwich press if you have one, or warm up a flat frying pan on your stove. Brush Sunflower Oil or butter over the top, bottom and edges of the tortilla and then lay the wrap on the sandwich press or pan, on medium heat.
If you are using a frying pan, press down firmly on the crunch wrap with a flipper, listening carefully for the sizzling noises. While you want a nicely charred surface, you definitely don’t want to burn the tortilla, so lift it from time to time to visually ensure you are not overdoing it. Once the first side is crispy, flip it over and repeat for the second side.
Your crunch wrap is ready when the cheese has melted and the toppings have warmed up. Bon appetite!
If the instructions above are too confusing, then here is a video to help you along.
