Ingredients
- 8 crunchy cos lettuce leaves (for the lettuce cups)
- 200g mushrooms (pick your favourite variety)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce
- Garnishes:
- Pickled pink ginger slices
- Black sesame seeds
- Fresh coriander leaves
- Sliced spring onion
- Kewpie mayonnaise (optional)
Author of this recipe
Crunchy cos is a fantastic ingredient to have in the kitchen. The leaves are sweet, and the crunchiness magnifies the freshness. It can be chopped and shredded like an iceberg lettuce, sliced down the middle and grilled on the barbecue, or like in this recipe, the leaves can also be used whole, loaded with flavour.
Crunchy cos lettuce leaves have enough structure to hold filling and can handle heat a bit better than an iceberg. These fresh little lettuce wraps can be served as finger food or a fantastic side dish. This is a bit like a simpler, version of the amazing Chinese dish - San Choy Bow, with some Japanese-inspired flavours.
You don’t need to do much to prepare the lettuce leaves for stuffing, just choose the freshest lettuce you can find, gently peel the leaves from the head, keeping them whole, and washing with care.
When preparing the mushrooms, we want them to brown yet still have their integrity. Caramelise them nicely but don’t overcook - so they hold on to their form and flavour.
Preparation
- Heat sesame oil and butter in a pan over medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted, add minced garlic and fresh ginger and sauté for about 30 seconds.
- Chop mushrooms into small chunks, then stir-fry them for 4-5 minutes with the garlic and ginger.
- Add soy sauce, sugar and oyster sauce to the pan, and cook until the sauce has coated the mushrooms and caramelised slightly. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Take each Cos lettuce leaf and gently wash and dry them if needed.
- Fill each lettuce leaf with a generous portion of mushroom-medley.
- Top with pickled pink ginger slices, black sesame seeds, fresh coriander leaves and sliced spring onion.
- If desired, serve with a little squeeze of Kewpie mayonnaise.
Tips from the author
This is a great option if you’re looking for flavourful, gluten-free or vegetarian dishes – and can easily be made vegan.
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