Chinese
The Frugal Foodie
From
The Frugal Foodie
season
1
episode
4
San Choi Bow
With
Steph De Sousa
Cantonese pork mince in crisp lettuce cups with bean sprouts and lime. Quick home dinner.
SERVES
4
About this recipe
Justine Schofield's pork mince stir-fried with garlic, ginger and onion, then spooned into crisp baby gem lettuce cups with bean sprouts and coleslaw for crunch. A Cantonese starter scaled down for a quick home dinner. Lime over the top.
San choy bow (sang choi bao, literally raw vegetable wrap in Cantonese) is the Hong Kong restaurant dish that travelled into Australian Chinese kitchens decades ago and became part of the household repertoire. The structural feature is the contrast between hot, savoury, finely-minced filling and cold, crisp, almost-raw lettuce; eating with hands; wrapping each parcel individually as you go.
Iceberg lettuce is the traditional Cantonese choice, but baby gem (the small, dense, slightly sweeter cousin) is the modern restaurant upgrade. Baby gem holds its shape better than iceberg, contributes more flavour, and produces a cleaner cup shape that doesn't fall apart in the hand. Separate the leaves carefully, keeping each one whole.
The sauce balance is the difference between a great san choy bow and a flat one. Hoisin for sweet depth, oyster sauce for umami salt, light soy for clean salt, sesame oil for finishing aroma, a splash of Shaoxing wine for the alcohol lift. Cook the pork mince hard in a smoking-hot wok until the edges crisp; add the sauce and toss through; remove from heat. Bean sprouts and shredded coleslaw mix for crunch, sliced spring onion and chopped coriander to finish. A wedge of lime over each spoonful. A cold Tsingtao alongside.
Ingredients
- 500g Ironbark Pork Mince
- 1 tsp Stone Mill crushed Garlic
- ½ onion sliced
- 1 tsp Stone Mill crushed Cinger
- 1 handful of The Fresh Salad Co. bagged Coleslaw mix
- 1 handful of Hugo’s Fresh Bean Sprouts
- Nature’s Pick Baby Gem Lettuce
- Generous squeeze of fresh Lime
- Optional - Crispy Noodles, toasted Peanuts, and fresh Chilli to serve
- San Choy Bow Sauce Mix
- 1 tsp White Wine Vinegar
- 2 tbsp Oyster Sauce
- 2 tbsp Kecap Manis
- 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Sugar
Method
1. If making your own San choy bow sauce, mix together the sauce ingredients in a bowl.
2. Heat the frypan (or wok) to a high temp and add Pork mince, break up with a wooden spoon. Don’t keep stirring and leave it till it's brown and crunchy. Once done, give it one final stir..
3. Add the Onion, Garlic and Ginger and stir on high flame for a minute. Make sure the Pork mince is all broken up.
4. Next, add San Choi Bow sauce, a handful of Bean Sprouts and Coleslaw mix. Give it a good mix. You don’t want to cook this too much. Stir until the Coleslaw ix has softened and the sauce has reduced..
5. Turn the heat off.
6. Get the lettuce ready by cutting the bottom a break off the whole leaves cups for the San Choi Bow mix.
7. Now, chop some Red Chilli for garnish and keep it aside. Stir it in the Lime juice in the San Choi Bow mix.
8. Serve inside Lettuce cups with optional toppings depending what you have on hand to garnish. I have used Salted Peanuts, Crispy Noodles and some spicy Red Chilli!
9. Keywords:
10. san choi bow, san choi bow recipe, san choi bao, sun choi bow, pork san choi bow, san choi bou, 15 min dinners
Steph De Sousa
Steph De Sousa cooks as The Frugal Foodie, building recipes around what's already in the pantry and the produce nobody wants to throw out. Her style is straightforward and budget-aware without being austere: roast vegetable peelings, second-day rice, a freezer worked properly. She brings practical home rhythms to Savour and Wander.
Inspiration Starts Here
Join the Savour & Wander Club for recipes, travel notes and first access to future member content.
