AI-generated image
Sang choi bao (minced pork lettuce cups)
Stir-fried minced pork, water chestnut and mushroom spooned into crisp iceberg cups
At Lunar New Year in Hong Kong, lettuce (saang choi) is on the table because its name sounds like 'growing wealth', and sang choi bao wraps that wish around a hot, savoury filling. Minced pork is stir-fried quickly with water chestnut, shiitake and a little oyster sauce, then spooned into cold, crisp iceberg cups so every bite is juicy, crunchy and fresh at once. It is fast enough to make while the bigger dishes braise, and it works as a starter or alongside rice and poon choi. Chef's tip: get the wok really hot and spread the mince out flat; crowded, cool mince stews in its juices instead of browning.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the filling
- 16 oz pork mince
- 4 oz water chestnutscanned, drained and finely diced
- 4 oz fresh shiitake mushroomsfinely diced
- 3 cloves garlicfinely chopped
- ½ oz fresh gingerfinely chopped
- 3 spring onionsfinely sliced, green and white kept apart
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
To serve
- 1 iceberg lettuceleaves separated into cups, chilled in iced water
- 3 tbsp hoisin sauce (optional)
- 1 oz roasted peanuts (optional)chopped
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (6)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Drain the 1 iceberg lettuce cups, shake dry and trim them into neat bowls with scissors. Keep them in the fridge until serving.
5 minStep 2: Heat 1 tbsp neutral oil in a wok over a high heat until shimmering, add 16 oz pork mince, press it flat and leave for 1 minute before breaking it up. Stir-fry for 5–6 minutes, until browned with no pink left and it reaches 160°F. Common mistake: adding cold mince to a cool wok, so it boils grey instead of browning.
7 minStep 3: Push the pork aside, add 3 cloves garlic, ½ oz fresh ginger and the white parts of 3 spring onions and fry for 30 seconds until fragrant.
1 minStep 4: Add 4 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms and 4 oz water chestnuts and stir-fry for 2 minutes, until the mushrooms soften and the water chestnuts are hot but still crunchy.
2 minStep 5: Stir in 2 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp light soy sauce and ¼ tsp ground white pepper and toss for 1 minute until glossy and almost dry. Take off the heat, stir in 1 tsp sesame oil and the green parts of the spring onions.
2 minStep 6: Spoon the hot filling into the cold lettuce cups, add a little 3 tbsp hoisin sauce and 1 oz roasted peanuts, and eat at once with your hands.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 320 kcal
- Protein
- 24 g
- Carbs
- 9 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sang choi bao (minced pork lettuce cups) take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 12 minutes to prepare and 13 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of fresh shiitake mushrooms?
- Aubergine, diced, same weight.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Pork souvlaki
This is a pork recipe. Walk through any Greek town after dark, from Athens to Thessaloniki, and the smell of souvlaki stands drifts down the street; cubes of pork shoulder grilled on thin skewers are the country's favourite cheap supper, eaten standing up or at a plastic-table taverna. At home you marinate the meat in lemon, olive oil, garlic and dried oregano, grill it hard and fast, and pile it on warm pitta with tzatziki, tomato and red onion. Chef's tip: cut the pork into even 2.5 cm cubes and leave a little fat on; lean loin dries out, shoulder stays juicy over high heat.
Greek
Pfälzer SaumagenStuffed pig's stomach
Saumagen is the pride of the Palatinate, served at wine-village festivals and family dinners from the Haardt hills to Ludwigshafen. A cleaned pig's stomach is stuffed with diced pork shoulder, pork sausage meat, potato and carrot seasoned with marjoram and nutmeg, poached slowly, then sliced thick and fried until crusty. The stomach works only as a casing and is ordered from a butcher; if you can't get one, bake the same filling in a covered terrine in a water bath. Serve with sauerkraut and mashed potato. Chef's tip: fill the stomach only three-quarters full, or it bursts as the potatoes swell.
German
Chha goshtLamb in buttermilk gravy
Up in the hill villages of Himachal Pradesh, where flocks are walked to summer pastures, lamb is often cooked in chhaachh, the thin buttermilk left after churning butter. Thickened with a spoonful of gram flour, it makes a pale, gently sour gravy that is milder and lighter than the red curries of the plains, and it is a favourite at dhams, the festive meals of the Kangra and Chamba valleys. Serve it with steamed rice or makki ki roti. Chef's tip: whisk the gram flour into the buttermilk until there are no lumps before it goes near the pot; once it hits the heat, any lumps stay lumps.
Indian