san choy bau

one of my ALL time favourite foods is san choy bau
i just love the freshness and crispness of this dish
tasty porky mince wrapped in lettuce cups
yummm... to die for!

i dont think i ever get enough of this
last week it was melbourne cup day [02.11.2010]
and as a school tradition we have a pot luck lunch and sweeps for fun

in the past i have always brought fresh veitnamese spring rolls but this year i wanted to stir things up and do something different [dont like being predictable ]

so i brought san choy bau to school to share with colleagues
i must say it was a big hit
every last lettuce cup and every bit of mince was finished
with requests for me to share my recipe

so here it is .... and enjoy!
ps: i think san choy bau is the best spring/summer food [crispy, fresh and light...oh drools...i am making myself hungry]

San Choy Bau Recipe

Ingredients

· 1-2 large iceberg lettuce washed and seperated into leaves [coz lettuce is ok too]

· 1 Splash Sesame Oil

· 500 g Pork Mince or chicken mince [or combination of both is ok]

· 1 Onion peeled and finely chopped

· 1 tablespoon Ginger finely chopped

· 2 Garlic Cloves peeled and finely chopped

· 1 small tin of mushrooms chopped into small pieces

· 1 small tin of water chestnuts chopped into small pieces

· 1.5 cups of frozen peas, carrot, corn mix

· 3 tablespoons Oyster sauce

· 1 tablespoons Soy sauce

· 3 tablespoon of hoi sin sauce

· 3 tablespoon of kecap manis [sweet soy sauce]

· 1 tablespoon of fish sauce

· 2 tablespoons finely chopped spring onions [optional]

Method

1. Heat about a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a wok or large pan over a high heat; add the onion, garlic, ginger

and the pork mince.

2. Once the meat has browned add all the veges [water chestnut, corn, peas, carrot and mushrooms]

3. Add in all of the sauces [oyster, fish sauce, hoi sin, kecap manis etc]

4. Bring to the boil, once the sauce is thick and of a syrup consistency have a taste for seasoning.

Toss through the spring onion.

5. Serve the meat in a bowl with the iceberg cups on the side.

To munch simply spoon the cooked mince into the lettuce cups.