Lettuce Parcels
Known as Sang Choy in Hong Kong, this is a popular "Assemble-it-yourself" treat. The filling — an imaginative blend of textures and flavours — is served with crisp lettuce leaves, which are used as wrappers.
Ingredients
- 2 boneless chicken breasts, total weight about 350g / 12oz
- 4 Chinese dried mushrooms, soaked for 30 minutes in warm water to cover
- 30ml / 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 6 drained canned water chestnuts, thinly sliced
- 30mI / 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 5ml / 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns, dry fried and crushed
- 4 spring onions, finely chopped
- 5ml / 1 tsp sesame oil
- vegetable oil, for deep frying
- 50g / 2oz cellophane noodles
- salt and ground black pepper (optional)
- 1 crisp lettuce and 60ml / 4 tbsp hoisin sauce, to serve
Preparation
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- Remove the skin from the chicken breasts, pat dry and set aside. Chop the chicken into thin strips. Drain the soaked mushrooms. Cut off and discard the mushroom stems; slice the caps finely and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan. Add the garlic, then add the chicken and stir-fry until the pieces are cooked through and no longer pink.
- Add the sliced mushrooms, water chestnuts, soy sauce and peppercorns. Toss for 2-3 minutes, then season, if needed. Stir in half of the spring onions, then the sesame oil. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Heat the oil for deep frying to 190°C/ 375°F. Cut the chicken skin into strips, deep fry until very crisp and drain on kitchen paper. Add the noodles to the hot oil, deep fry until crisp. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper.
- Crush the noodles and put in a serving dish. Top with the chicken skin, chicken mixture and the remaining spring onions. Wash the lettuce leaves, pat dry and arrange on a large platter.
- Toss the chicken and noodles to mix. Invite guests to take one or two lettuce leaves, spread the inside with hoisin sauce and add a spoonful of filling, turning in the sides of the leaves and rolling them into a parcel. The parcels are traditionally eaten in the hand.
Serves 6.