When I make this dish, I think of my grandfather Chan who grew up well practised in Kung Fu and also immersed in his family’s restaurant business. He’d often amuse himself by throwing lettuces in the air and slicing them mid-air with a machete. The lettuce with its fresh, crisp leaves stayed intact and felt the sharpness of tapered edged smooth blade exactly cut the lettuce into two equal sizes. The result was much practice and lots of wasted lettuces. When his father caught him, he would be beaten. But Chan never cried in front of his father. Chan’s tomfoolery and macho stance made the waitresses giggle and soon he became quite a ladies man. Whilst I do not recommend in anyway this method of slicing the lettuce with a machete mid-air, I do recommend you try this recipe as the combination of textures, flavours and colours make the most delicious and healthy San Choy Bau.
Makes 10–12
Prep time 10 minutes
Cook time 10 minutes
1/2 iceberg lettuce or 2 baby gem lettuce, separated
1 x 227g can bamboo slices
1 x 227g can water chestnuts, sliced
1 carrot, diced
6 Chinese mushrooms, soaked and diced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cooked chicken fillet, finely sliced
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar
1 x 300g bottle of Sweet Mandarin Barbecue Sauce
Wash the lettuce and pat dry with kitchen paper. Dice the vegetables into small 0.5cm pieces.
In a hot wok, add the oil and cook the vegetables and chicken. Cook for 5–8 minutes until the vegetables are softened. Season with salt, sugar and a splash of water.
Place the cooked filling mixture in the lettuce leaves and pour over some Sweet Mandarin Barbecue sauce. Serve.
To book a table at Sweet Mandarin email sweetmandarintables@gmail.com . Our opening times are Tuesday – Sunday 5-10pm.
Sweet Mandarin is a Chinese Restaurant in Manchester which serves delicious Chinese cuisine and exotic cocktails. We make our own sweet chilli sauce, bbq sauce, sweet & sour sauce which you can buy from Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Ocado, Booths, Wing Yip and Chi Yip. Sweet Mandarin Chinese Restaurant and Cookery Schoolcan cater for the gluten free, dairy free diners. We are a short 15 minute walk from the Manchester Arena. We are not based in Chinatown, but based in the trendy Northern Quarter near the Arndale Centre, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, Debenhams and Primark. The nearest hotels to us are the Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn Express, Premier Apartments, Blue Rainbow Aparthotels, Light Hotel and Hatters Hostel.