Asian Lettuce Wraps are a delicious and healthy meal to make, and a great low carb dinner meal! It's also a budget friendly meal, leaving your family asking for more. Make dinner in 20 minutes!!!
What is San Choy Bow?
In Australia, we call this recipe San Choy Bow, or sometimes spelled San Choi Bao. Our proximity to Asia and being a multicultural country, we seem to embrace traditional ethnic names of food. In America, this recipe is more commonly known as Asian Lettuce Wraps or Chinese Lettuce Cups.
Very simply, it's flavored fried chicken or pork, eaten wrapped inside a lettuce leaf.
What Is In San Choy Bow Sauce?
In Australia, Asian Lettuce Wraps are commonly made with Oyster Sauce as a flavor base. However in North America, Hoisin Sauce seems to be the common sauce ingredient. Just use whatever sauce you have in the fridge! I prefer the flavour of Oyster Sauce over Hoisin, but it's a matter of preference. For an extra sweet and spicy kick, I drizzle Sweet Thai Chili Sauce over the meat before eating. You can add whatever sauce you like.
Which Lettuce is Best for Wraps?
Typically Iceberg Lettuce is used when making Asian Lettuce Wraps. Iceberg is quite large and can be hard to roll up. Butter Lettuce is smaller and softer, making it easier to roll. However, Iceberg has a great crunch and I think goes better with San Choy Bow.
It can be hard separating the Iceberg Lettuce individually, especially the closer you get to the centre of the lettuce core. If I get frustrated or rip too many, I sometimes chop the lettuce into salad size pieces and top with the meat, like a nacho salad. I just tell the family that I planned dinner this way on purpose.
San Choy Bow or Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps are so easy to make, did I mention delicious? You'll be a healthy hero making this tasty Chinese meal. Who needs take out? Bon Appetit! Приятного аппетита!
Ingredients
- 1 head iceberg lettuce
- 1 lb /500 ground chicken or ground pork
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 cloves of garlic
- ½ onion diced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated
- 1 cup chopped mushrooms
- 1 can water chestnuts drained and diced
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 chili pepper sliced (optional)
- handful fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Heat oil in a frying pan and saute the ground chicken until browned, around 5 minutes.
- Stir in garlic, onion, ginger and mushrooms and optional chili pepper and stir fry together for about 2 minutes.
- Add the diced water chestnuts, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce and oyster sauce and mix together, cooking for about 2 more minutes. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro and spoon into the middle of a single lettuce leaf. Enjoy.
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