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 …..
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
- Chinese Chicken and Corn Soup
- Chop Suey (Chicken Stir Fry)
- Chow Mein
- Cashew Chicken
- Beef and Broccoli
- Browse all Chinese restaurant recipes
San Choy Bow
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
San Choy Bow (Chinese Lettuce Cups) recipe video!
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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… 🤣
Loved the recipe followed it exactly and used Chinese cooking wine and it had amazing flavour.
Wahoo, that’s great to hear Grant!
Made this with beef mince tonight & it tasted amazing. Thank you for all the amazing & diverse recipes. 💗
Hi Nagi! I’ve been eyeing your recipes for some time. I made this tonight and turned out AMAZING! Thanks for all the excellent food!
I have made these several times now and it is absolutely fantastic. Just like how they do it in restaurants. Thank you so much!
this looks delicious, just have to ask for a little guidance re: concern for shellfish allergies; this recipe and many others call for either oyster sauce, fish sauce or mirin…my reaction to shellfish is very aggressive so I need to know…can you give suggestions for substitutes that will yield similar flavors or advise if these items are usually not from shellfish? I know sometimes the name of a sauce may not reflect what is actually in it, just being careful. I have never purchased fish or oyster sauce or mirin out of fear, mostly.
Hi Gail, it depends on the individual recipe. You can get a mushroom based “oyster sauce” which is the best sub for oyster – soy is generally a good sub for fish. Mirin doesn’t contain any shellfish 🙂 N x
OK, good to know about the mushroom based oyster sauce, I’ll look for it. Thanks! I really want to try these soon.
Made this many times. It is a great hit with our fussy eaters. AND so easy. Thank you
That’s great to hear Peter!!! N x
The lettuce wraps are the absolute best. They are so fresh and tasty. My 5 Year old granddaughter eats the meat mixture, without the lettuce, and usually has 3 servings! Delicious.
That’s awesome Wendy!! N x
Made these lettuce wraps for dinner last night. They were delicious and so easy to make. Just one of your recipes that we love ❤️. Thank you!!!
Wahoo, thanks so much for letting me know! N x
YAY! Thank you for this one, Nagi. I haven’t made it yet but I have everything but the lettuce so will be ASAP I can.
All the other recipes for these have some ingredient that I just can’t find locally. You’re now my bff!
WOOT!! Love this Becki! N x
The flavor was ok with ground chicken, but it was muddy colored and on the watery side.
Ignore my initial comment. I prepared the meat at noon to warm up with dinner, so my review was purely based on appearance. At dinner, I served with the lettuce leaves, rice noodles and cucumber sticks. It was delicious with ground chicken and my family gobbled it up! Learn from my mistake of rating a dish prior to serving!!! I know Nagi will forgive me !
Oh my stars, was this fantastic. You are right about the Chinese cooking wine, it did make all of the difference in this dish. Since then I made the egg foo young and that sauce was fabulous also. I cannot wait to try more of your recipes. They all look so delish and not that time consuming. Thank you for helping out a mother stuck indoors trying to make a decent dinner for my family. Your rolls were pretty awesome too. Keep sending out those recipes.
That’s so great to hear Mary – Stay safe (and sane) 🙂 N x
I have made this with finely diced firm tofu instead of meat and it was excellent
SOOOOOOOOO yummy! Will definitely add it to my regular dinner rotation.
I didn’t use mushrooms (but did use a dark mushroom soy sauce) and no water chestnuts (only because I didn’t have them will be buying them next time!
I was naughty and used a jar satay sauce and also sweet chilli sauce.
Had some leftover the next day and still YUM!!
Wahoo, that’s great Jess!
I made this dish last night as it is my husband’s fav at the Chinese restaurant.
We both found the meal to be extremely salty and I personally didn’t like it at all.
I cooked the meal exactly as the recipe stated.
I think there was way too much soy sauce for our likings.
Anyway, I just thought that I would let you know.
Hi Julie, sorry you found it too salty – can I ask what soy you used and what size tablespoon? N x
Hi Nagi.
In reply to your question, I used Aussie size measuring spoons.
I’m so sorry Nagi. I have just reread the recipe and I used a tablespoon of dark soy instead of a teaspoon.
No wonder it was too salty for us.
Again, so sorry that I misread the recipe.
I made this yesterday for an Asian themed dinner party and everyone just loved it and said it was so much better than what they serve in the restaurants! There was no left overs which is a true sign of deliciousness. The shiitake mushrooms and water chestnuts just added to the flavour and texture. Will be making this again. Thank you Nagi, your recipes are turning me into a Super Chef😁
I’m so glad it was a hit Linda! ❤️
It is a pleasure to send you our rave reviews for the lettuce wrap recipe!!
Absolutely Amazing!
My daughter and I attempted to make the San Choy Bow after shopping 3 stores for ingredients. Appreciate the tips with the Chinese cooking wine, now that I know where to buy it, I will keep on hand. We decided we were very hungry, so decided to quadruple the recipe, we have more than enough for 2 meals!
As for the end result, it was the Absolute Best lettuce wraps we have ever had!!! So Happy with the results. It was a lot for 3 of us, looking forward to enjoying once again.
I have never been a fan of blogs, Nagi I am pleased to say I am hooked!!
I had made the Oven Baked Chicken Breast as the first recipe from your blog and this being the 2nd. I am extremely excited to try more of your recipe and the tips along with notes are very helpful. Any questions I may have had, are answered.
THANK YOU!!!
this was so popular wth family now a staple the water chesnuts add the xtra touch.
many thanks
You’re so welcome Pamela!!
YUMMMMM!!!! Easy and SOO good!
Wahoo! Thanks Linda!
That was so yummy and easy to follow. Thank you.
You’re so welcome Michele!
Just love this dish. Want to make it ahead for a dinner party. Can the meat be reheated? Thank you
Yes definitely Claire! Just reheat covered in the microwave – N x
I’m making this tonight for dinner. You’re my go to Asian foodie. I’m doing this with your lo mein which is amazing.