Lisa Mead’s recipe of the week: Sang choy bao (Chinese lettuce cups)
INGREDIENTS (SERVES 6)
FILLING:
- 2 tablespoons of peanut oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tsp of fresh ginger
- 3 cups of ground pork
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 small carrots peeled and finely chopped
- 1 cup of water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
- 8 shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped
SAUCE:
- 2 1/2 tsp of cornflour/ cornstarch
- 6 tablespoons of water
- 3 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons of sweet teriyaki sauce
- 4 tablespoons of Mirin ( or Chinese cooking wine)
- 2 tsp of sesame oil
- 4 tablespoons of oyster sauce
- 2 tsp of white sugar
ASSEMBLING AND GARNISHING:
16 large soft lettuce leaves
1 cup of finely chopped dry roasted peanuts
1/2 cup of fresh mint
1 cup of dried shallots
INSTRUCTIONS:
SAUCE:
- Make the sauce. Mix the cornflour/cornstarch with a tablespoon of cold water. Stir till smooth.
- Add the remaining sauce ingredients and stir in a bowl. Set to one side.
FILLING:
- Place the peanut oil in a wok or large non stick fry pan on a med/high heat.
- Add the onion and stir. Once the onion is opaque, add garlic and ginger. Cook for approximately 1 minute, and then add the pork.
- Cool until pork turns white in colour. Add the vegetables. Cook for about another 2 minutes, or until the carrot has softened and the pork has cooked through.
- Add the sauce and cook for another 2 minutes or until the sauce thickens and looks glossy. Make sure to coat all the filling.
- Transfer the filling into a medium serving bowl. Lay out the lettuce leaves, nuts and mint leaves.
TO ASSEMBLE:
To serve, spoon some of the filling into a lettuce leaf. Garnish with the nuts and mint leaves and dried shallots. Roll it up and eat.
Press PLAY below to hear Lisa Mead run through the recipe