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San choy bow

Seasoned chicken mince cooked with garlic, ginger and a soy-oyster sauce, then spooned into crisp iceberg lettuce cups with grated carrot, spring onion and bean sprouts. Fresh, light and endlessly customisable — swap the chicken for mushrooms or lentils for a plant-based version.
  • Prep 15 mins
  • Cook 10 mins
  • Servings 4
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Ingredients

  • 1 iceburg lettuce
  • 1 large carrot, grated
  • 3 shallots, diced
  • 1 3cm piece of ginger, grated
  • 2–3 cloves of garlic
  • 500g chicken mince (or other lean mince)
  • 2 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 1½ tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon oil (sesame works well)

To serve

  • 2 cups of cooked brown rice
  • 1 cup of bean sprouts
  • Extra soy sauce for dipping

Optional toppings

  • Sliced cucumber
  • Squeeze of lime
  • Sliced chilli
  • Chopped peanuts
  • Any herbs you have growing

Preparation

  1. Heat the oil in a non-stick fry pan over medium heat.
  2. Add in garlic and ginger, and cook until fragrant.
  3. Add in your chicken mince and cook on medium-high heat. Use a spatula to break the chicken into smaller pieces.
  4. Once the chicken has browned add in the carrot and 2/3 of the shallots.
  5. Cook for 1 minute, then stir in the soy sauce and oyster sauce.
  6. Remove from the heat once the chicken has cooked through and the sauce has been completely absorbed.

To serve

  • Add 2 heaped tablespoons of mince mixture onto a single leaf of your iceberg lettuce.
  • Top with the remaining shallots and any of the optional extras.

Tips

  • For a more substantial meal serve with some cooked brown rice.
  • To make a vegetarian version use mushrooms, lentils or a plant-based meat substitute in place of the chicken. If you are using mushrooms, add them in step 3 with the carrot and shallots in the method. Replace the oyster sauce with a vegetarian version.
  • Add extra flavour by topping your san choy bow with any herbs growing in the garden such as coriander, parsley or mint.
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