This quick Chinese dish is made by wrapping pork mince and delicious flavours in lettuce wraps, which are then eaten with your hands. The cool crispy lettuce and warm mince mixture makes a beautiful light meal for dinner and can be cooked in under 30 minutes.
How to make pork san choy bow: key tips
This dish is incredibly easy to make. You can also prepare the filling beforehand and keep it covered in the fridge, so that even less cooking time is needed.
Start by browning the aromatics and pork mince. Break up the mince with a wooden spoon as it cooks so that you don’t end up with big chunks. Continue with step 3, stirring the meat and veg mixture until the sauce thickens enough that it won’t run out of the lettuce leaves and down your arms while you’re eating your san choy bow.
To prepare your lettuce cups, select a large, heavy iceberg lettuce and discard any wilted outer leaves. Cut out the core using a sharp knife. Place the lettuce, core-side up, in a large bowl of water – the weight of the water will separate the leaves slightly. Lift the lettuce from the water and carefully peel the leaves away, then pat them dry with paper towel. To make the leaves into really neat cups, you can use kitchen scissors to trim the edges.
Key ingredients in this pork san choy bow recipe
Iceberg lettuce cups are traditionally used for this dish, but they can be a bit tricky to separate, and often split. I like to use baby cos lettuce leaves as an alternative, as they already form a ‘cup’ shape and so work well, especially if you’re in a hurry.
Choose lean pork mince from your supermarket or butcher. As this mince is the star of the dish, you don’t want it to taste overly fatty.
Water chestnuts give your san choy bow filling an amazing crunch, so be sure to include them. You can buy them from the supermarket and Asian grocers.
Oyster sauce imparts the pork mixture with umami-rich flavours (see other options in the notes below).
Quick and easy Asian is perfect for busy nights. These Asian dinners will have you in tastebud heaven, as will even more san choy bow recipes.
This recipe was originally submitted by kastbury, a member of the Australia’s Best Recipe community. Introduction and additional recipe notes by Natasha Shaw.
Ingredients
- 1 tbs peanut oil
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 1 tbs ginger grated
- 4 shallots chopped
- 500 g lean pork mince
- 1 red capsicum diced
- 230 g water chestnuts roughly chopped
- 2 tbs soy sauce
- 1 tbs oyster sauce
- 2 tbs dry sherry
- 1 tbs fresh coriander
- 1 iceberg lettuce trimmed washed
Method
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Step 1Heat oils on medium heat. Add garlic, ginger and shallots, cook for 2 minutes.
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Step 2Add mince and stir until brown.
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Step 3Add capsicum, water chestnuts, soy sauce, oyster sauce and sherry. Simmer for 3 minutes until sauce thickens.
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Step 4Remove from heat, add coriander. Mix.
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Step 5Serve in lettuce cups.
Recipe Notes
What is san choy bow sauce made of?
San choy bow is usually made by filling iceberg lettuce cups with a savoury pork mince mixture to create a tasty starter or main. You need ingredients such as peanut oil, garlic, ginger and shallots plus pork mince. Add to that capsicum and water chestnuts, then the sauces: soy sauce, oyster sauce and dry sherry plus fresh coriander.
What does san choy bow mean?
San choy bow literally translates to lettuce wraps or lettuce buns. The Cantonese term ‘san choy’ refers to the lettuce and the term ‘bow’ refers to wrap or bun. You can ask for lettuce wraps if you can’t remember the Cantonese term.
What country did san choy bow come from?
San choy bow is a Cantonese term and originally referred to pigeon mince wrapped inside a lettuce leaf. Here in Australia, we substitute pigeon mince with a variety of minces like pork, and sometimes beef.
What can I use instead of oyster sauce in san choy bow?
While the best option is to use oyster sauce, there are a few things you can use instead, like fish sauce, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, teriyaki sauce and even Worcestershire sauce mixed with soy sauce. These are not perfect substitutes but they can help you when you’re stuck.
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