Name: Lau’s Family Kitchen’s vegetarian sang choi bau
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 4 iceberg lettuce leaves; 20 gm dried shiitake mushrooms (about 10 small mushrooms), soaked in hot water; 1 tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra as needed; 40 gm green beans, trimmed and thinly sliced; 1 small onion, finely chopped; 100 gm bamboo shoots, finely chopped; 100 gm water chestnuts, finely chopped; 2 tbsp finely chopped spring onion; 1 tsp oyster sauce, preferably vegetarian; ½ tsp dark soy sauce; 1 tsp Shaoxing wine; Pinch of caster sugar; 1 tsp roasted pine nuts; Plum sauce (optional), to serve

Lau’s Family Kitchen’s vegetarian sang choi bau

A meat-free take on the Cantonese classic.

Mushroom sang choi bau by Lau's Family Kitchen

Serves 4

Prep

10M

Cook

Total

15M

This vegetarian twist on a classic is not only delicious but is also a fabulous play on textures. It’s best served on super-crisp cups of iceberg lettuce – to prepare, chop off the core and soak the head of lettuce in cold water for an hour before separating the leaves.

Ingredients

4 iceberg lettuce leaves

20 gm dried shiitake mushrooms (about 10 small mushrooms), soaked in hot water

1 tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra as needed

40 gm green beans, trimmed and thinly sliced

1 small onion, finely chopped

100 gm bamboo shoots, finely chopped

100 gm water chestnuts, finely chopped

2 tbsp finely chopped spring onion

1 tsp oyster sauce, preferably vegetarian

½ tsp dark soy sauce

1 tsp Shaoxing wine

Pinch of caster sugar

1 tsp roasted pine nuts

Plum sauce (optional), to serve

Method

1.Trim lettuce leaves to form small cups, then refrigerate until required.

2.Drain mushrooms, trim stems, then squeeze excess water from caps. Chop mushrooms so they’re similar in size to beans, onion, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts.

3.Heat oil in a hot wok over high heat until surface is shimmering. Add beans, onion, bamboo shoots, water chestnut, spring onion and mushrooms, stir-fry until almost tender (2 minutes), then add oyster sauce, soy sauce, Shaoxing and sugar and a little more oil if needed, and stir-fry until coated (30 seconds). Adjust seasoning, transfer to a serving bowl, top with pine nuts, and serve with lettuce cups and plum sauce.

Profile Gilbert Lau

Styling by Lisa Featherby