Beef San Choy Bow Recipe
Sticky beef mince with water chestnuts and crunchy vegetables served in crisp lettuce cups. Ready in 20 minutes.
Print Recipe
Ingredients
- Neutral oil for frying such as canola or sunflower
- 500 grams / 1.1 lb free-range beef mince
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 1 red or yellow pepper diced
- 1 carrot grated
- 2 cloves of garlic crushed
- 2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
- ½ - 1 finely sliced red chilli plus a pinch of dried chilli flakes if you want heat
- 1 cup / 250ml mushroom or beef stock I used 1 cube
- 2 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 small tin of water chestnuts drained and thinly sliced (140grams total drained weight)
- 2 – 3 heads of baby butter or romaine cos lettuce to serve
- To garnish: Chopped roasted and salted cashews or peanuts to serve, sliced red chillis, sliced spring onions, fresh coriander leaves, wedges of lime, sliced radish, shredded carrots (optional)
Instructions
- Wash and dry the lettuce leaves and set them aside on a platter. Prepare all the garnishes.
- 10 – 15 minutes before you want to eat, heat about 1 tablespoon of oil in a large non-stick frying pan break up and fry the meat until cooked and caramelized on the edges. Set aside in a dish.
- In the same frying pan, heat a teaspoon of sesame oil (optional) and a splash of neutral oil and add the onions, diced pepper, carrot, garlic, ginger and chilli and fry for a few minutes until softened. If this starts sticking to the pan, add some of the mushroom stock to prevent this.
- Add the meat back to the pan along with any juices that may have seeped out. Add the oyster and hoisin sauce and stir fry along with any leftover stock and cook for a minute or 2. Add the water chestnuts and cook until the liquid has evarpourated and you have a dryish sticky mix.
- Serve in the lettuce leaves and add the garnishes of your choice.
Notes
A quick, healthy weeknight dinner of sticky, savoury beef mince loaded with vegetables and water chestnuts, served in crisp lettuce cups with crunchy garnishes. Naturally low-carb and ready in about 20 minutes.
Brown the mince in batches for the best caramelisation. Crowding the pan will cause it to steam rather than brown.
Use mushroom stock instead of extra oil to prevent sticking. It adds flavour without adding fat.
Cook until the sauce has evaporated and the mince is dry and sticky. Wet mince will make the lettuce soggy.
Storage: Keep the cooked mince filling in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Store the lettuce and garnishes separately.
Reheating: Warm the mince filling in a pan over a medium heat until heated through. Add a splash of stock if it has dried out too much.
Freezing: The mince filling freezes well for up to two months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat in a pan. Do not freeze the lettuce or garnishes.
Servings: 4