Baking
57 recipes
I grew up with this dish – from our regular family Chinese restaurant meals along the south coast of NSW. We all loved this one.
This is a very easy home-based version of that classic dish.
To make this even quicker substitute jarred for fresh garlic and ginger. Swap out the cashews for your favourite unsalted, roasted nuts – peanuts are of course fantastic here, whatever is easiest to find. I like to serve this dish in small Gem lettuce leaves for a cocktail party or just simply for an easier mouthful! Traditionally however you use large iceberg lettuce leaves, trimmed into rounds for the cups.
I can’t talk enough about my electric wok – this is what makes this dish possible at home to me. Professional Chinese kitchens have gas burners that are wider and carry the heat straight up the sides of the wok for that instant, searing heat that imparts that smoky flavour into stir fries and dishes like this that make them so special. Most homes will not have this kind of heat in their stove tops whereas an electric wok does. You can leave it on the bench to cook almost anything from stir fries to steamboats and soups. They are not expensive either.
Serves 6. DF. GF with right soy sauce/tamari. Freezes well.
Pictured: Sang choi bau served in baby cos lettuce
Ingredients
- 500g pork mince
- 2 tbsp grated ginger (can use from a jar)
- 1 large carrot, finely chopped
- 3 stalks celery, finely chopped - or swap 2 stalks for 100g green beans, diced
- 200g roasted, unsalted cashew nuts, finely chopped
- 1 brown onion/3 green onions, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp light olive oil or vegetable oil
- 120ml oyster sauce
- 60ml (1/4 C) light soy
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 2 large heads iceberg or cos lettuce leaves removed
Method
In a bowl combine carrot, celery and cashew nuts.
In a separate bowl, combine ginger, garlic and onions.
In another bowl combine oyster sauce, soy, sesame oil and sugar and mix.
Cut base from lettuce, remove darker outer leaves, under cold water peel 12 leaves. Drain and trim.
Heat a wok on high heat; add 1 tbsp oil, half the pork mince, and stir fry 1-2 mins til pork starting to brown.
Add half the onion mix and infuse the flavour into the mince for 1 min.
Add half the celery mix, fry another 1 min.
Add half the sauce mix, fry another minute to combine flavours then transfer to a bowl.
Clean wok and repeat.
Serve pork in lettuce cups, with hoisin sauce and chilli oil on the side.
Dietary preferences
- Dairy-Free with ingredient checks
- Gluten-Free with substitutions
