How To Cook Chinese Lettuce Food

STIR-FRIED LETTUCE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Wash lettuce, separating each leaf from core. Dry well with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel.
• Without removing hard stems, cut leaves across into pieces of about 1 inch wide. Set aside.
• Combine rice wine or dry sherry, soy sauce, and sugar in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside.
• Heat oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes and stir-fry until aromatic, or about 5 to 10 seconds. Start with 1/8 of a teaspoon of the red pepper flakes.
• Add chopped lettuce into wok.
• Stir-fry lettuce for 1 to 2 minutes, until leaves begin to wilt. Sprinkle with salt.
• Give previously prepared sauce a quick re-stir and swirl into wok. Stir-fry for 1 to 2 more minutes, until lettuce becomes dark green in color. Taste and adjust seasonings, add remaining 1/8 of a teaspoon of red pepper flakes if desired, or a splash of soy sauce.
• Remove from heat and stir in sesame oil.

STIR-FRIED GARLIC LETTUCE

Steps:

• Combine the rice wine or sherry, soy sauce, sugar, and salt in a small bowl.
• Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes within 1 to 2 seconds of contact. Swirl in the vegetable oil, add the garlic, and stir-fry for 5 seconds. Add the lettuce and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes, or until it is just limp. Stir the sauce, swirl it into the wok, and stir-fry for 30 seconds to 1 minute more, or until the lettuce is just tender and still bright green. Remove from the heat, drizzle on the sesame oil, and serve.

ASIAN LETTUCE WRAPS

Steps:

• Rinse whole lettuce leaves and pat dry, being careful not tear them. Set aside.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir beef and cooking oil in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and discard grease; transfer beef to a bowl. Cook and stir onion in the same skillet used for beef until slightly tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir hoisin sauce, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, and chile pepper sauce into onions. Add water chestnuts, green onions, sesame oil, and cooked beef; cook and stir until the onions just begin to wilt, about 2 minutes.
• Arrange lettuce leaves around the outer edge of a large serving platter and pile meat mixture in the center.