Pork San Choy Bau

 

One of my favourite Chinese dishes! You’ll usually have a few lettuce leaves that didn’t make the cut into perfect cups, so just cut them up into pieces you can also use to fill with this fantastic mince pork mixture.

(Serves 8 to 10)

2 crisp iceberg lettuces (or individual baby cos lettuce leaves)
2 tbsp oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

20g (1 tbsp) ginger, finely chopped 750g lean minced pork
3 Chinese sausages* (dry), finely chopped or minced

2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine* (or dry sherry)
1/4 cup dried Chinese Black Fungus mushroom strips*, soaked in boiled water for 10min and chopped

220g tin water chestnuts, drained and chopped
4 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp cornflour
125 ml water
1 carrot, finely grated
5 spring onions, green part only, finely shredded

salt and white pepper, to taste
sesame oil, drizzle
handful of beanshoots, to garnish 4 tbsp crushed roasted peanuts, to garnish

* Purchased from an Asian grocery

 

  1. Cut 1/3 up from bottom stem of lettuce. Run larger piece, cut side up, under cold run- ning water to carefully separate lettuce leaves. The water will fill between the leaves to make it easier for the leaves to peel off. Trim with scissors to form 10 neat cups. Leave to drain upside down until ready to use.
  2. Heat oil in a wok or large saucepan and quickly sautee garlic and ginger. Add pork and chinese sausage and stir fry until browned. When almost browned stir in Chinese cooking wine and cook until evaporated.
  3. Add mushrooms, water chestnuts, oyster sauce, chilli and soy sauces and continue to stir fry until mixed through. Mix cornflour and water together and stir into mixture for about 1-2 minutes until thickened and glossy. Remove from heat.
  4. Stir in carrot and spring onion and season with salt, pepper and a drizzle of sesame oil, to taste.
  5. To serve, place one lettuce cup on a plate and fill with pork mixture. Garnish with bean shoots and crushed peanuts. Use any extra lettuce cups as additional cups to fill with mixture.