Sang Choy Bao is a popular Cantonese dish where finely diced meat is stir-fried and served in lettuce cups. Here is a version with our local fresh Peninsula ingredients. It’s super tasty, easy to make and a family friendly meal. It is essential to have the wok hot and stir-fry quickly to avoid any ‘stewing’ nor burning of the ingredients. If you want to increase the quantity to feed more mouths, simply cook the meat and vegetables in batches.

 serves 3-4

 1 iceberg, leaves separated into ‘cups’

250g lamb mince (or grass-fed beef mince)

100g shiitake mushrooms

100g (½ medium) daikon

3 spring onions, ends trimmed

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine

1/3 cup chicken stock or water

Marinade

½ teaspoon Chinese five spice powder

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine

Soak the lettuce leaves in cold water for 10 minutes, drain well and place in fridge to chill, until ready to use.

Stir the marinade ingredients together in a bowl. Add the lamb (or beef) mince and mix well to combine. Set aside for 15 minutes.

To prepare the vegetables, remove the shiitake stems then finely slice the caps. Cut the daikon into small dice, about 5mm. Finely chop the white section of the spring onions. Finely slice the remaining spring onion green tops and set aside for garnish.

Heat the wok over a high heat. Add the lamb (or beef) mince mixture and chopped spring onion and stir-fry for about 2-3 minutes, until the meat is lightly browned, while making sure to break up the meat to prevent any lumps forming. Transfer the hot mixture to a bowl and reserve.

Wipe out the wok with paper towel removing any rendered fat. Return the wok to the high heat and add the oil. When the wok is hot add the garlic, mushrooms and daikon and stir-fry for a minute. Add the reserved lamb (or beef), oyster sauce, soy sauce, Shaoxing rice wine and the chicken stock, or water and stir-fry for one to two minutes until the sauce has reduced. Season with salt and white pepper, if needed.

Transfer the lamb (or beef) mixture to a warmed bowl and serve alongside a plate of chilled lettuce leaf ‘cups’. Each person can spoon the meat into a lettuce cup then roll up with fingers to eat.

Recipe by Fiona Hammond, February 2023