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.
