Chinese Lettuce Wraps (San Choy Bow )
Just over a month ago, I had the pleasure of contributing a Chinese New Year recipe to one of the UK’s leading food magazines, Delicious. The dish? Chinese Lettuce Wraps (San Choy Bow)—a favourite of mine since childhood!
Every year on the first day of Chinese New Year, my mum would make her own version of this dish, without fail. Her recipe differs slightly from mine, as she uses dried cuttlefish to enhance the flavour and skips the mushrooms. Being the prawn and mushroom lover that I am, I couldn’t resist adding both to my recipe! Besides, prawns are often featured in Chinese New Year dishes because they symbolise happiness, which is a lovely touch of tradition.
The star ingredient in this dish is yam bean, also known as jicama. It’s a root vegetable that resembles a large radish. With its brown skin (which is peeled before use) and crisp, white flesh, it has a slightly sweet and nutty flavour—perfect for adding both crunch and freshness to the dish. It’s delicious raw too! If you’re struggling to find jicama, don’t worry; I’ve found a fantastic substitute in Jerusalem artichoke, which has a similar texture and works wonderfully in this recipe.
Though traditionally prepared for Chinese New Year, I think these wraps are perfect for any day of the year. Light and refreshing, they make a great starter, especially when served in crunchy lettuce leaves, topped with sesame seeds, fried shallots, and toasted peanuts. Every bite is packed with flavour, texture, and pure deliciousness!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 persons
Ingredients:
1 tbsp sunflower oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
180g raw prawns, shelled and deveinef
3 Chinese mushrooms, soaked and sliced
220g carrots, peeled and cut into 6-7cm matchsticks
300g yam bean or Jerusalem artichoke, peeled and cut into 6-7cm matchsticks
50g green beans, thinly sliced
1 tbsp oyster sauce
½ tbsp light soya sauce
½ tbsp sweet soya sauce
1 tsp Chinese rice wine
1 tsp sesame oil
a dash of ground white pepper
16-20 round lettuce leaves
Garnishing:
30g unsalted toasted peanuts, coarsely ground
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
2 tbsp fried shallots (optional)
2 spring onions, chopped
Method:
1. In a wok over medium-high heat, put the sunflower oil, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant but not brown. Then, add the prawns, stir and cook for 2 minutes until they start to turn pink.
2. Add the mushrooms, cook for 1 minute. Then, add the carrots and yam bean. Toss and stir to combine, cook for 2-3 minutes until the vegetables start to soften.
3. Meanwhile, add the oyster sauce, light soya sauce, sweet soya sauce, Chinese rice wine, sesame oil and a dash of ground white pepper to a bowl with 2 tbsp of water. Mix well and pour into the wok.
4. Stir to combine and bring it the boil for a few seconds before turning the heat to medium-low and put the lid on. Cook for 8-10 minutes until the vegetables are soft. About 5 minutes into the cooking time, add the green beans, stir to combine. Transfer to a serving plate.
5. To serve, arrange the garnishes and condiment in small dishes and put along side with the lettuce leaves and the cooked filling. Take a lettuce leaves, put about 2 tbsp of the filling in the middle. Garnish with peanuts, sesame seeds, fried shallots and spring onions, wrap it up. Dip in sweet chilli sauce, if liked.
