Another good dish for those who want a quick, simple meal is san choy bao.  This minced meat dish has Chinese flavours combined with the textural contrast of crunchy water chestnuts and the iceberg lettuce leaf in which it is served.  It is eaten with the hands – a bit like a healthier Chinese version of the hamburger.

San Choy Bao

Wrap it up in the lettuce leaf and eat it over a plate!

Ingredients  

500g pork mince (or any other mince you have)

2 tbs minced ginger

2 tbs minced garlic

1/2 cup sliced spring onions

10g dried shitake mushrooms (soaked in boiling water according to directions on pack)

40ml Chinese rice wine

40ml dark soy sauce

2tbs light soy sauce

1tbs Chinese black vinegar

1tsp sesame oil

1tsp Chinese five spice

225g tin bamboo shoots

225g tin water chestnuts

2-3tbs peanut oil

Method  

Heat oil in a wok, add mince and fry gently until browned and all moisture has evaporated.  Meanwhile, mix together the soy sauce, rice wine, black vinegar, sesame oil and five spice powder in a bowl.  Add the ginger, garlic, spring onions and mushrooms and fry gently until aromatic.  Add a little of the mushroom soaking water if it is drying out too much.  Add the bamboo shoots and water chestnuts, then the soy sauce mixture.  Reduce for a minute or two.  Serve in iceberg lettuce cups.

Hint

Add a handful of bean shoots on top of the mince for even more textural contrast.