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!
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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… 🤣
The sauce was lovely and made the dish taste like it was restaurant quality. I used lean beef mince as that was what I had. Fortified the mince with carrot and zucchini. I didn’t have any water chestnut in the house so I blanched bean sprouts and added that on top. Forgot the peanuts!
The dish was great, and my fussy 5 year old loved it a lot!!!! Thanks very much from Perth!
I made this tonight, I used veggie Mince and so glad I doubled the recipe. It got devoured. Even my daughter who is a very fussy eater loved it. Sharing this recipe with my entire family!
Sorry should read Pork san choy bow
Can I freeze left over cooked meat from the pork san chop bow dinner recipe
Yes Lyn that would be fine! N x
Hi Nagi, we have peanut anaphylaxis in the house, what do you suggest as a substitute for the oil and garnish? Thanks!
Hi Jacqui! Cashews are a great sub here, otherwise crispy fried shallots for an alternative sprinkle! Buy them at grocery stores – N x
Absolutely delicious! So juicy and flavorful.
I just made this. Didn’t have dark soya sauce so followed your suggestion to sub with light soya sauce. Didn’t have sesame oil and water chestnuts either but it was amazing. My 12 year old went mmm, tastes like Singapore! Whatever that means 😝 but it’s family approved!
Also, can this be made with prawns? I’d like to try that. If so, do I follow the same method or veggies first then prawns – as they cooked faster.
If you do it with prawns Aisah, I would add them last as they do cook faster! N x
Yay! Thanks Nagi! I’ll do just that!!! Thank you so much for responding and for all your lovely recipes. It’s truly doable, delicious and family approved. Keep up the good work! 💖
With love from Singapore + UK family currently residing in Thailand 🌸
Hi, I want to cook this but am wondering if I could add rice or noodles? My husband is not keen on lettuce as the main meal
Cooked this fabulously healthy meal up for dinner tonight with Turkey mince! So ridiculously delicious and I can’t believe how low-cal it is which still feeling like takeout!
Quick and easy recipe, cooked it up for lunch in no time. Delicious!
Omg delicious and 100% worth the prep time to make a double batch. Thank you
Hi Nagi, what could I use instead of oyster sauce or hoisin sauce as my husband needs to have a very low sodium diet I can’t wait for your cookbook to come out.
Hi Kim just google -make your own healthier hoi sin sauce
Oh wow! I have made San Choy Bow in the past, however this recipe is the best. My whole family loved it. Winner! Thank you!
I added chicken mince and tsp of Chinese 5 spice.
The iceberg lettuce unwrapped while leaving in iced water was easier
My family loves this recipe. I have 2 hungry teenage boys who devour this. I use turkey instead so it’s not oily. If my son had his way, he would eat this every week. I do 2x a month. Thank you for sharing.
Please tell me – how do chinese restaurants make the lettuce cups – they are so crispy and cut in a circle
how do chinese restaurants make the lettuce cups – they are so crispy and cut in a circle
Judith,
Nagi shows in the video that she uses a round cutter to get the perfect circle of lettuce.
Absolutely delicious & simple to cook!
Thanks! N x
Hi Nagi, I have never had a fail with your recipes and this was no exception. I made one little addition in a sprinkle of Chinese Five Spice. Delicious.
Hi Nagi, just finished making your san chow bow, it was delicious. I’m looking forward to your book, but I am just wondering how you are going to add different serving sizes in recipes in the book, thanks Claire