Easy Sang Choi Bau (San Choy Bow)

Cooking with Rich

2021-01-03T16:00:00+00:00

Tags: MushroomEasyStarterMainCanapeLettuce

Sang Choi Bau, from Cantonese, translates to 'lettuce wrap', a ground meat with vegetables wrapped in lettuce. This dish is great as a starter or as a main, tastes fantastic, light on the belly, fun to eat, building as you go and much easier to make than one might think.

I've been lucky to try a range of Sang Choi Bau versions around the world most notably in Hong Kong, where 'best guess' Sang Choi Bau has its origin. However, there are also similar dishes available across Asia, including 'larb' in Thailand, Laos and simply "lettuce wraps" in Vietnam, all with the same basics, ground meat with vegetables wrapped in lettuce, with slight regional variations with other ingredients.

My first memory of experiencing Sang Choi Bau is in Chinatown in Sydney. My family would go for a Chinese meal treat once every couple of months and this dish was considered, by my parents at least, very fancy. Now maybe in retrospect not that fancy, but it still does have a special memory to it for me, biting into crispy lettuce wraps filled with juicy hot minced pork and Asian veggies.

My take on Sang Choi Bau, like many of my favourites, is a combination of a few different recipes I've tried. There are many variations available so don't be afraid to try a few and mix and match the flavours that work for you. This version works for us as it is light, flavour filled and easy using pork mince, but you can swap it to a meat (or meat substitute) of your choice. I'll add some tips and alternatives for you to consider at the end.

So have a go and let me know.

Easy Sang Choi Bau (San Choy Bow)

Preparation: 10 mins | Cooking: 15 mins | Serves: 4-6 adults
Skill Level: Easy

Ingredients

Soy Mix

2 tsp cornflour/cornstarch
4 tbsp water
2 tbsp light soy
2 tbsp dark soy
3 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp sesame sauce
3 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine or Mirin
1 tbsp hoisin sauce

Foundation

500g pork mince
150g shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped
150g water chestnuts, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
2cm cubed piece ginger, minced, an equal amount to the garlic
1 onion (medium) finely chopped
½ cup of corn kernels (frozen and thawed are fine)
Salt & pepper, to season to taste

To Serve

Lettuce leaves, approximately 8-10 medium sized
Roasted crushed peanuts
Finely sliced coriander or spring onion.

Method

In a small bowl combine cornstarch and water, mix until you get a smooth consistency.
Add remaining 'soy mix' ingredients and stir to combine and set aside for later.
In a wok or appropriate pan, heat a little oil and add garlic, ginger and onions, fry until onions start to turn translucent.
Add pork and cook for approximately 2 minutes.
Add mushrooms, chestnuts and corn, stir to combine and cook for another 5 mins.
Add soy mix and stir to combine, continue cooking until sauce begins to thicken.
Remove from heat and place in serving bowl.
To serve simply take a lettuce leaf and spoon in the filling, garnish with a little crushed peanut and coriander and eat.

Tips & Alternatives

It is common to use pork, however chicken or duck can be substituted. I've not tried it yet but prawns could also work.
For vegetarian only you can increase the amount of mushroom or use any meat substitute.
You can add some bean sprouts for some texture either while cooking or as a garnish.
You can also try adding some fried rice vermicelli for a little crunch as a garnish.
Iceberg lettuce is the most common variety used for sang choi bao, however I like to use cos (romaine) as it's shape lends itself to this dish quite well and is a little sturdier. Using baby cos leaves allows you make make more and can be served as a canape. In reality you can just about use any lettuce that has a broad leaf that can be filled.
To get crispier lettuce leaves soak them in cold water for about 5 mins.
If you run out of lettuce or have leftovers the meat filling goes excellently with plain rice.

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