One of my favourite Chinese starters – Lettuce Wraps with pork or chicken, loads of hidden crunchy vegetables in a tasty savoury brown sauce, bundled up in fresh lettuce. Also known as San Choy Bow, it’s arguably the ultimate “just happens to be healthy” food in the whole wide world …..
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
San Choy Bow – Chinese Lettuce Wraps
The Chinese name for Lettuce Wraps is San Choy Bow which is how it’s written in menus at Chinese restaurants here in Sydney, though the spelling varies widely from place to place and I’m yet to find a definitive answer for what the proper spelling is.
I may not know how to spell it, but I do know you’re going to love them!!
How to make Lettuce Wraps
Lettuce wraps are made with ground / mince meat and vegetable filling with a savoury Chinese sauce spooned into lettuce cups, then wrapped into a roll shape to eat.
For a great Lettuce Wrap, it all comes down to the sauce. It takes more than just a splash of soy sauce to make a truly delish Lettuce Wrap.
Get the sauce right and you can pretty much put anything into the filling. And it is one of those rare recipes that is genuinely great made entirely vegetarian. I would just as happily scoff down a meat free version of this as I would a traditional pork version.
What goes in a Lettuce Wrap filling
I don’t think there are definitive rules for what goes in Lettuce Wraps, but the common ingredients I see at Chinese restaurants are:
pork (chicken and turkey are ideal subs)
water chestnuts
onion
After this, things get a bit blurred. Other common ingredients which I’ve included in my recipe are:
Baby corn
Shiitake or other mushrooms
Carrots
And those that border more towards “Western” Chinese have all sorts of other vegetables in it, like normal corn, capsicum etc.
Make it real with water chestnuts!
If you can find them, I really urge you to use Water Chestnuts. It doesn’t have a strong flavour, but the unique thing about Water chestnuts is the texture.
Even canned, it is crunchy and a bit juicy and it’s a quintessential part of the Chinese Lettuce Wrap experience. ☺️ Nowadays in Australia, they are found in both the Asian section and canned vegetable section of supermarkets (Woolies, Coles etc).
Lettuce wraps are a fantastic quick and easy meal that also happens to be healthy. In Chinese restaurants, it’s served with crisp Iceberg Lettuce which tends to crack when folded. For a more practical option, use soft lettuce leaves like Butter Lettuce or Bib Lettuce (US).
Enjoy!– Nagi x
More quick and easy Chinese restaurant favourites
Chop Suey (Chicken Stir Fry)
Browse all Chinese restaurant recipes
Watch How To Make It
This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
San Choy Bow (Chinese Lettuce Wraps)
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1 1/4 tsp cornflour / cornstarch
- 3 tbsp water, separated
- 1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce (Note 1)
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce (Note 1)
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (or sub Mirin or dry sherry, Note 2)
- 1 tsp white sugar (can omit)
Filling (Note 6)
- 1 tbsp peanut oil
- 1 clove large garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp ginger, minced
- 300g / 10oz pork mince (ground pork) (Note 3)
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- 1 small carrot, finely chopped
- 100g/ 3.5oz canned water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped (Note 4)
- 5 baby corn, canned or fresh, finely chopped (Note 4)
- 5 mushrooms, finely chopped(shiitake is best, I used Swiss Brown)
Serving
- 8 leaves large or 16 – 20 small lettuce, preferably soft (Note 5)
- Crushed peanuts
- Finely sliced scallions / shallots
Instructions
- Mix cornflour with 1 tbsp water until lump free. Then add remaining Sauce ingredients and mix.
- Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add garlic and ginger, give it a quick stir then add onion.
- Cook for 1 minute then add pork. Cook pork until it turns white.
- Add all the vegetables. Cook for 2 minutes until the carrot is softened and pork is cooked through.
- Add Sauce and cook for 1 1/2 minutes or until it thickens and glossy, coating the Filling.
- Transfer Filling into serving bowl. Lay out lettuce leaves, peanuts and scallions on the side.
- To serve, spoon some Filling into a lettuce leaf. Top with peanuts and scallions, bundle it up and enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
*
* Originally published February 2017, updated for housekeeping matters.Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
When Dozer ate a lady beetle… 🤣
This came together so quickly, for a delicious result! I didn’t have baby corn so used frozen corn kernels, and added green beans chopped into 1-1.5cm pieces for some extra veg. The water chestnuts are an absolute must for the texture.
Can you make this with prawns?
I’m sure you could, chopped into small pieces!
Excellent recipe!! Yummy!
This was so yummy! I didn’t measure the sauce exactly but that’s okay! 😀 The water chestnuts make this one because of the texture, so they have to go in! Had to stop myself eating the mix, before it made it to the lettuce!
Some of the Chinese restaurants in Toronto call this dish “Rainbow Chopped in Crystal Fold,” which I think is a marvelously evocative and appealing name.
Excellent! Will try with chicken next time.
Dear Nagi,I have family with coeliac desease.What would you suggest as a substitute for the dark and lite soy sauce and also the flour? Love your recipes.
Hi Janne,
Just saw your message! I made this for a friend who has coeliac diseaseusing gluten free all purpose flour and replaced the soy sauce with GF tamari. Hope that helps. Catherine
Dear Nagi,I have family with coeliac decease.What would you suggest as a substitute for the dark and lite soy sauce and also the flour? Love your recipes.
I cater for coeliac’s at home too! Normal gluten free plain flour works, and Ayam brand Light and Dark soy are both gluten free 🙂
What are your thoughts on using bamboo shoots in this recipe?
Good thoughts 🙂 Have done so many times! N x
As always another winning recipe Nagi! Delicious 😋
These were scrumptious, thank you for another delicious recipe Nagi. Wishing you, Dozer and your lovely family a happy, healthy and inspirational 2021.
Made this a few days ago and family raved about it so made again today and family still loved it. Followed the recipe exactly as written.
I love this recipe – except I leave out water chestnuts completely, but that’s because of my personal preference – somehow I can’t stand the texture of water chestnuts. It still tastes fantastic!
Hi Nagi. I’ve enjoyed many of your recipes. I am currently on a low histamine diet, so can’t use soy or oyster sauce (or any sauce really). Can you recommend a replacement that would be suitable? Thanks.
Another winner. Delicious, simple and fresh.
Thank you
Love you Nagi … I have tried many of your recipes and all have been great … I tell all my friends about you … your butter chicken recipe is now famous!
My family loved it! I had most of the ingredients on hand. Substituted raw julienned carrots for the water chestnuts. Will be making again. Thanks!
Delicious! Used chicken mince and added water chestnuts (fabulous crunch), bean sprouts and a couple of birds eye chillies. Another great recipe- thank you Nagi.
My 16yo who is not at all adventurous with his food and wanted baked beans on toast for dinner loved this! Nagi, you have single handedly turned my boring eater into a kid who will now happily eat a range of foods.
OMG sorry, forgot to rate