These chicken rissoles are golden on the outside with irresistible little pockets of oozy cheese inside. It’s my chicken mince version of the beloved Aussie beef rissole. There’s room for both in everybody’s life!

Chicken rissoles

Aussies love a good beef rissole. It’s right up there with other nostalgic Australian comfort meals like curried sausages, bangers and mash, and a good old-fashioned roast with all the trimmings.

In case you’re wondering what rissoles are, in Australia (and New Zealand) they are small meat patties that are usually pan-fried. And while we Aussies like to believe they’re exclusively ours (right!?) it turns out that actually there are different forms of rissoles all around the world made with other meats, fish/seafood and vegetables.

The classic Aussie version is made with beef mince, often mixed with grated vegetables, and flavoured with savoury seasonings such as Worcestershire sauce.

Today though I’m doing a spin on the classic using chicken. I’ve also doubled down on the non-traditional approach by adding cheese for much needed juiciness (because chicken mince = lean meat) as well as flavour.

But you know you’re going to love them. Look at these golden beauties!

Proof of oozy cheese pockets inside:

What you need for Chicken Rissoles

Here’s what you need to make these cheesy chicken rissoles:

• Chicken mince (ground chicken) – This recipe is created with chicken mince but turkey or pork mince would make great direct substitutes with no alteration to the recipe. For beef and lamb, it’s better to use the classic Beef Rissoles recipe which has seasonings suited to red meats.

  TIP: Chicken mince purchased in packets from supermarkets can be quite wet and soft. Pour off and discard any liquid pooled in the packet before using. If you are struggling to form patties because your mixture is too wet, add more breadcrumbs to absorb the excess moisture. But really try to avoid/minimise this as the drier the mixture gets, the less juicy your rissoles!

• Panko breadcrumbs – Breadcrumbs are necessary to absorb some of the moisture so you can form patties. I like to use Panko breadcrumbs because it makes the inside of the rissoles softer than using the fine regular breadcrumbs.

  Panko is a Japanese breadcrumb favoured for the extra-crispy coating it gives crumbed foods (crumbed tenders, schnitzel, Kiev). Find it in the Asian aisle of most large supermarkets.

  Substitute with 2/3 cup regular breadcrumbs if you can’t find panko. A reader also reported these worked great with gluten-free breadcrumbs!

• Cheese (shredded) – Adds flavour and juiciness to the inside of the rissoles. Chicken mince is very lean, so cheese really makes a difference to the tasty-factor. Pick a well-flavoured cheese that’s suitable for both shredding and melting. Colby, cheddar/tasty, Monterey Jack, gouda, and provolone are all good choices.

• Carrot and zucchini – To bulk out the patties as well as adding some goodness to our diet. Double up on one or the other if you want more veg, or just prefer one veg.
  Alternatives: corn, thawed peas or small diced frozen vegetables, or finely chopped cooked, cooled broccoli. You don’t want to use anything that needs cooking (like raw grated sweet potato) because the chicken mince will overcook before the vegetable cooks through.

• Egg – For binding. Just one. Any more and it will noticeably dry out the filling.

• Parsley – Optional, for lovely little flecks of colour.

How to make chicken rissoles

I need to share more recipes that are so straightforward I only need 6 simple step photos like below! Just what I needed after Friday’s Vegetable Dumplings, which totalled a whopping 30 process shots!!! (But it’s still a really easy recipe, I swear 😂)

1. Grate the zucchini and carrot using a standard box grater,

2. Mix all the rissole ingredients together in a bowl using a wooden spoon.

3. Scoop up just shy of 1/4 cup of mixture. TIP: An ice cream scoop with a lever is super handy for making patties and meatballs!

4. Wet your hand with water (so the mixture doesn’t stick) and place the ball of mixture on your hand.

5. Shape it into a patty.

6. Cook 5 to 6 patties at a time in a non-stick pan for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until golden and crispy. Keep cooked rissoles warm in a low oven, sitting on a rack set over a tray (this stops the underside from going soggy).

And that’s it! Pile them up on a platter with ketchup on the side for dipping. Rissoles are normally a meal eaten with knife and fork, but they’re also delicious as finger food. Either way, get your people stuck in while they’re hot!!

Before you ask, I did try baking them too. It works but I found that you can’t get the same amount of attractive dark colour on the surface without overcooking the inside. They’re still tasty, and I would do it if convenience was a priority (so I’ve included directions in the notes), but pan-frying really is better for these rissoles.

If baking convenience is what you’re after, try these Baked Chicken Broccoli Patties. The addition of broccoli protects the chicken mince from drying out in the oven so you can bake it for a bit longer and thus get more nice colour on it.

Oh and don’t worry. Those have cheese in them too. ☺️ – Nagi x

Did you know … you can fritter almost anything?

Rissoles!!

Salmon Patties

Cheesy Chicken Patties with Broccoli

Broccoli Fritters

Crispy Zucchini Fritters

Very Crispy Corn Fritters

Broccoli Chicken Fritters

Leftover Pasta Fritters

Watch how to make it

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Chicken Rissoles

Recipe video above. The chicken version of the beloved Aussie beef rissoles! You'll love the oozy little pockets of cheese.

Makes 14 to 16 rissoles. Serves 4 to 5 as a meal, or one Dozer.

Course Mains

Cuisine Western

Keyword chicken mince recipe, Chicken patties, chicken rissoles, ground chicken recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 16 rissoles

Calories 132cal

Author Goh

Ingredients

Rissoles:

• 500g / 1 lb chicken mince (ground chicken), excess liquid drained and discarded (Note 1)
• 1 carrot, medium , grated on a shallow angle (Note 2)
• 1 zucchini, medium , grated on a shallow angle (Note 2)
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cup Colby cheese, shredded (or cheddar, tasty, Monterey Jack – see Note 3)
• 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs (Note 4)
• 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley , optional
• 1 tsp cooking/kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Cooking & serving:

• 2 tbsp canola oil
• Ketchup – for dipping

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Pre-heat oven to 100°C/210°F (all oven types), to keep cooked rissoles warm. Place a rack over a tray.
• Rissole mixture: Mix all ingredients together in a bowl using a wooden spoon.
• Form patties: Wet your hands (stops the mixture sticking all over your hands). Measure out just shy of 1/4 cup and shape into a 6 cm wide x 1.5cm thick pattie (2.4" x 0.6" thick). See Note 1 if your mixture is too loose.
• Cook: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large non-stick pan over medium high heat. Cook 5 – 6 rissoles at the time, 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until beautifully golden (as pictured). (Note 5 for baking)
• Keep warm: Transfer to the rack on the tray and keep warm in the oven. Add more oil as needed and cook remaining rissoles.
• Serve straight away with ketchup for dipping!

Notes

1. Chicken mince can be quite watery. If there is liquid pooled in the packet, drain and discard first. Don’t let it get into the meat mixture else it may be too loose. If your mixture really is sloppy (older chicken mince can be really wet), add extra panko. However really try to minimise the panko, because the more excess panko you use, the less juicy your rissoles will be.

2. Grating on a shallow angle – The goal is to grate short rather than long strands. To do this, hold the carrot/zucchini perpendicular to the box grater as you grate. This will make the shortest strands. If you hold them on a steep angle, you will get long strands which isn’t ideal here.

Feel free to double up on either carrot or zucchini if you want more vegetables.

3. Cheese – Most cheeses will actually work (because, cheese!) But the ideal cheese has flavour without being overpowering, can be shredded, and melts into cheesy strings. Colby, cheddar/tasty, Monterey Jack, provolone and gouda are my picks.

4. Panko breadcrumbs – Japanese breadcrumb favoured for the extra-crispy coating it gives crumbed foods, and makes the inside of things like rissoles softer compared to using finer regular breadcrumbs. Find it in the Asian aisle of most large supermarkets. Substitute with 2/3 cup regular breadcrumbs if you can’t find it. A reader also reported gluten-free breadcrumbs worked great!

5. Baking – Pan frying really is the best way to cook these for best results. Baking isn’t as good but they are still tasty (thanks to the cheese!). Spray the patties well with olive oil spray and place on 2 large lined trays. Bake at 220°C/430°F for 15 to 18 minutes, flipping halfway. They will be a lighter colour than pictured. The chicken will overcook and dry out if you bake them for too long.

6. Storage – Keeps for 3 days in the fridge. Freezes fine but not ideal, I think you will lose juiciness inside (simply because chicken is lean).

7. Nutrition per rissole.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 132cal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 274mg | Potassium: 237mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 821IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 99mg | Iron: 1mg

Life of Dozer

When Dozer has an upset stomach, it’s time for his “man buns”. They help keep parts of him – ahem – clean, shall we say. Practical – and hilarious. (PS He’s fine now! Don’t feel too sorry for him, it was no doubt self-inflicted, eating something he shouldn’t have.)

The post Chicken Rissoles (chicken patties!) appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Thai Lettuce Wraps is one of those meals that will make you forget you’re eating healthy! A traditional Thai dish called Larb Gai, they’re quick to make and full of fresh flavours from herbs and lime, plus a nice hit of chilli. Use chicken mince or pork mince, bundle it up in lettuce or serve it over rice!

Thai Lettuce Wraps – Larb Gai

Thai is one of the most popular Asian foods in Sydney. And there’s so much to love about it – noodles, curries and soups, grilled chicken, fried rice and Thai Fish Cakes. And of course, everybody’s favourite Thai Chicken Satay with peanut sauce!

But when you feel like something lighter (read: lower cal!) but still loaded with Thai flavours, these Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps are fabulous.

Larb Gai, Laab Gai, Lahb Gai, Laap Gai…….searching for a recipe like this where the name has been interpreted in so many different ways is always interesting! Depending on what you search will return a myriad of results!

Thai Lettuce Wraps are a celebration of fresh flavours and textures. The perfect balance of sweet, savoury, sour and spiciness with aromatic herbs and the fresh crunch from lettuce. Utterly addictive!

Larb Gai is the Thai version of everybody’s favourite Chinese Lettuce Wraps, San Choy Bow!

It’s all about the fresh flavours!

Like many South East Asian dishes, these Thai Lettuce Cups are about fresh flavours. There’s few ingredients in the sauce – just lime juice, fish sauce and sugar.  Much of the flavour comes from a decent wack of Thai aromatics – ginger, garlic, chilli and lemongrass – which we sauté until golden and the smell drives us crazy before we add the chicken, sauce and fresh herbs.

What goes in Thai Lettuce Wraps

Here’s a visual of what goes in the chicken mince filling for Thai Lettuce Wraps.

I typically default to a chicken filling, but this recipe works just as well with pork mince as well (that’s ground pork for those of you in the States!).

Lettuce for lettuce cups

For the lettuce wraps, don’t get too hung up on finding the perfect lettuce! Once it’s all bundled / scrunched up and you start devouring, nobody remembers whether your lettuce leaves were the perfect size or symmetrical, or a convenient cup shape. All anyone can think about is how divine it tastes!

TIP: Crisp or soft lettuce works just fine, so go with what you prefer or what looks good at the store. Crisp lettuce leaves are mostly in a cup shape – as pictured below (small cos lettuce aka romaine lettuce) – and soft lettuce leaves can be any shape as they are soft enough to wrap around the filling.

How to make Thai Lettuce Wraps

It’s no different to any stir fry – mix up the sauce first, sauté the aromatics first (garlic, ginger, chilli, lemongrass) then add the meat then sauce. You’ll be done cooking in 5 minutes flat!

How to serve

I always serve it in a DIY arrangement because I’m a fan of interactive food – plus I get to skip plating up for everyone! I put the filling in a bowl alongside a pile of lettuce leaves with lime wedges and some peanuts sprinkling.

SAUCE OPTION: Typically I serve it just like that, but when I want to go all out, I make Thai Peanut Sauce as well. It’s the sauce from my Thai Chicken Satay recipe which actually makes more than you need for one batch of Satay. So freeze the leftovers then pull it out when you make Thai Lettuce Wraps!

What to serve with Thai Lettuce Wraps

These are typically offered as a starter at Thai restaurants – one piece per person. As for what main to have, you could really choose any Thai main dish – there’s nothing I wouldn’t choose in my collection of recipes! Here are some favourites:

Thai Main Dish Suggestions

Pad See Ew (Thai Stir Fried Noodles)

Thai Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

Thai Red Curry with Chicken

Thai Cashew Chicken Stir Fry

Thai Basil Chicken

Grilled Marinated Thai Chicken (Gai Yang)

Thai Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao)

Thai Green Curry

Thai Recipes

The other option is to make a meal out of these lettuce cups by adding some sides to fill it out – and add some extra greens if you like. If you add one rice side and one salad, that will make quite a substantial meal for 4 people. Here are some suggestions!

Dishes to make a complete meal

Pineapple Fried Rice (Thai)

Smashed Cucumber Salad

Jasmine Rice

Thai Fried Rice

How to cook white rice – easily and perfectly

Cauliflower Fried Rice

Asian Slaw – healthy, crunchy Asian Cabbage Salad

Coconut Rice (fluffy, not gluey!)

Asian Sesame Dressing

Vermicelli Noodle Salad

– Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Thai Lettuce Wraps (Larb Gai, Laab Gai)

Recipe video above. This is a really authentic recipe for Thai Lettuce Wraps (Larb Gai). It is super fast to make, incredibly fresh but full of fragrance and a hit of spice.

Course Stir Fry

Cuisine Thai

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 2 - 3

Calories 351cal

Author Nagi | RecipeTin Eats

Ingredients

• 2 tsp cornflour / cornstarch OR 2 tbsp uncooked rice (any rice is fine) (Note 1)
• 3 tbsp water
• 2 1/2 tbsp lime juice (1 to 2 limes)
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp peanut oil (or other high smoke point cooking oil)
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger , grated or very finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves , large, minced
• 1 lemon grass stalk , white and very pale green part only, finely chopped (Note 2)
• 2 Thai or birds eye chilli , deseeded and finely chopped (adjust to taste)
• 1 lb / 500g chicken mince (ground chicken) OR pork
• 1/2 red onion , cut into 4 wedges then finely sliced
• 1/3 cup coriander/cilantro leaves , plus extra to garnish
• 1/3 cup mint leaves , plus extra to garnish

Serving

• 3 tbsp crushed peanuts (optional)
• 6 - 8 small to medium lettuce leaves (I used baby cos / romaine) (Note 3)
• Extra lime wedges, chilli

Instructions

• Sauce: Place water and cornflour OR rice powder into a small bowl. Mix into a slurry. Add lime juice, fish sauce and sugar and mix to combine. Set aside.
• Heat peanut oil in a wok (or heavy based fry pan) over medium high heat. Add ginger, garlic, lemongrass and chilli and sauté for 45 seconds to 1 minute until fragrant. Do not let the garlic burn, it will taste bitter.
• Add the chicken and turn up the heat to high. Cook the chicken, breaking up the mince into small pieces.
• Once the chicken turns white and is almost cooked through (about 3 to 4 minutes), add Sauce. Cook for 45 seconds to 1 minute to coat the chicken and for the sauce to thicken.
• Remove wok from heat. Stir through onion, coriander/cilantro and mint.
• Spoon filling into a bowl, and serve with lettuce, peanuts, extra herbs and lime wedges on the side - leave everyone to make their own. Spoon filling into lettuce cups and garnish with what you want!
• Sauce option: Take it over the top by serving with Thai Peanut Satay Sauce, as pictured in the first photo in post! It's extra amazing (though not traditional!)

Notes

1. Sauce thickener - The traditional way in Thailand to thicken sauces is to toast then grind rice. A quicker way to do this is to use cornstarch / cornflour which is what I typically use.

Traditional ground rice: Heat a wok (or heavy based fry pan) over high heat. Add the rice and dry cook for 5 minutes until it turns dark golden brown. Remove into a mortar and pestle and ground into powder. Use in place of cornflour in recipe.

2. Lemongrass - use fresh or paste. If using paste, add it with the chicken and use 1 tbsp.

For fresh, poeel the stringy, tough, outside layers off the lemongrass and just use the bottom 7 - 10cm / 3 to 4" of he lemongrass.

3. Lettuce - soft or crisp works fine, don't get too hung up on lettuce shape / type. For crisp, look for leaves that have a natural cup shape. If lettuce is soft, it's perfect for bundling up into rolls!

4. Source: Adapted from a recipe by Chew Town and with reference to various Thai cooking books.

5. Nutrition assumes 3 servings as a light main.

Nutrition

Serving: 238g | Calories: 351cal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 21.4g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 130mg | Sodium: 559mg | Potassium: 921mg | Fiber: 1.9g | Sugar: 2.4g | Vitamin A: 400IU | Vitamin C: 13.2mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 3.1mg

Originally published January 2015. Updated with new photos, new process photos, new video and most importantly, Dozer added!

More Thai Food favourites

• Thai Chili Basil Chicken Stir Fry

• Pad See Ew and Thai Drunken Noodles

• Thai Red Curry and Green Curry

• Massaman Curry

• Thai Fish Cakes

• Chicken Satay skewers with Peanut Sauce

• See all Thai Recipes

Life of Dozer

On auto pilot, I labelled this photo “Dozer guarding front door”.

LOL, what a joke! If a robber ever broke in, he’d lead them straight to all my valuables!

SaveSave

The post Thai Lettuce Wraps (Larb Gai) appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Chicken burgers can be so bland and boring. Not these! Made with ground chicken (mince), parmesan, garlic and a hint of dried sage, you’ll love how these chicken burger patties are juicy on the inside with crispy golden edges.

Loaded onto soft toasted buns with a generous scoop of creamy avocado, this may well be the burger of your dreams! (Great for grilling on the BBQ)

Chicken Burgers

Chicken burgers have a bad reputation for being bland and dry, perhaps because of the very fact that they do appear on menus as the healthier option to gutsy beef burgers.

Flavourless patties, underseasoned, overcooked, dry, jammed in a burger bun with equally unexciting burger toppings.

NOT IN MY WORLD!!!

These ground chicken burgers are loaded with flavour from parmesan, garlic and sage powder (the secret ingredient!). They’re golden on the outside, juicy on the inside, and no one could EVER accuse these of being bland!!!

The quicker way to make Chicken Burgers is with a seasoned chicken breast. The BETTER way is with chicken mince – you can get more flavour in it!

What you need for juicy Chicken Burger Patties

Here’s what you need to make these wickedly delicious chicken mince burgers.

Just a few notes on some of the items:

• Ground chicken (mince) – the flavourings in the chicken patties work equally well with turkey or pork.

• Parmesan adds great flavour into the patties. It doesn’t make it taste cheesy, it adds umami(which is the food-tech term for savoury-ness).

• Sage is the herb flavouring in these chicken patties. It adds an earthy flavour that really gives these chicken burgers the edge! If you don’t have or can’t find ground sage, thyme is a terrific alternative, OR using celery salt in place of ordinary salt.

How to make chicken burgers with ground chicken

Nothing ground breaking here, but still useful to have a visual I think!

• Mix up the chicken pattie ingredients, shape into patties.

• Pan fry or BBQ until golden, plonk cheese on and cover with lid to melt.

• Smush on a generous load of avocado, top with chicken pattie, lettuce, tomato.

• Smear lid with mayo, relish, ketchup or other burger sauce of choice, then place on burger.

• Devour and be happy!

Avocado all the way!

I’ve used a generous smearing of avocado in this recipe to make the whole eating experience juicier. I feel like avocado brings the whole burger together, making everything meld together so nicely!

But actually, today’s recipe is more about the chicken burger pattie itself, so feel free to go wild with other burger toppings. Never let anyone tell you what you should or shouldn’t put on your burger! Here are some suggestions:

• Pan fried onions

• Bacon

• Egg

• Sauteed mushrooms

• Beetroot

• Hot chips (oh yes!!)

– Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Avocado Chicken Burgers

Recipe video above. Ground chicken burgers can be so bland and boring. Not these! Parmesan, garlic and a hint of dried sage adds great savoury flavour, and you’ll love how these cook up beautifully golden with crispy edges!

Course Mains

Cuisine Western

Keyword Chicken Burger, Chicken mince burger, Chicken patties, Ground chicken burger

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 737cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Chicken Burger Patties:

• 500g/ 1.2 lb ground chicken (mince) (Note 1)
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup parmesan , finely grated (Note 2)
• 1 cup green onion , finely sliced (~2 stems)
• 2 garlic cloves , minced
• 1/2 tsp dried sage (Note 3)
• 1/2 tsp salt and pepper , each

Burgers:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 soft burger buns or brioche buns
• 1 avocado (big!) (or 2 medium)
• 60g / 2 oz rocket / arugula or other lettuce of choice
• 2 tomatoes , sliced
• 4 slices Swiss cheese (or other cheese)
• Mayonnaise, relish, ketchup or tomato sauce (to smear lid)

On the side

• French fries
• Baked potato wedges

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Chicken Burger Patties

• Place Pattie ingredients in bowl, mix well with hands.
• Form 4 patties, 1.5cm / 3/5″ thick, slightly larger than the buns (shrinks slightly). If mixture is super sticky (Note 4), either refrigerate mixture for 30 minutes, or wet hands or lightly spray hands with oil (I do this).
• Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat. Add patties, working in batches. Cook for 2 minutes or until deep golden, then flip.
• After 1 minute, top with a piece of cheese and place lid on to melt cheese.
• Once cheese is melted, remove patties from skillet.

Assemble

• Split buns and lightly toast in oven or under broiler/grill.
• Cut avocado in half, scoop out a generous amount then “smash” it on the base of the bun with a fork. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Top with Chicken Pattie, then rocket/arugula and tomato.
• Smear the top bun with mayonnaise (or relish, ketchup, other condiment of choice) and place lid on bun.
• Devour and be happy!

Notes

1. Meat – recipe works equally well with ground/mince turkey or pork.

2. Parmesan – grate your own, or use the store bought sandy type.

3. Sage – gives chicken patties a terrific savoury flavour which I love. Sub with ½ tsp dried thyme, or use celery salt instead of plain salt. Can be skipped.

4. Sticky mixture! Ground chicken / mince can be much more wet and harder to handle than other ground meat. Don’t be tempted to add more breadcrumbs, it will make the mixture less meat-like once cooked. Either refrigerate the mixture to firm up, or wet or oil hands to form patties. Also, the meat purchased from butchers is less wet than the ones sold at supermarkets in plastic containers (they sweat and become more watery).

5. Nutrition per serving, assuming a big hamburger bun is used (which is actually quite sweet, and larger than normal rolls so calories will be less if you use normal soft bread rolls).

Nutrition

Calories: 737cal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 43g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 186mg | Sodium: 1093mg | Potassium: 1337mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1729IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 601mg | Iron: 5mg

I love a good, juicy burger! Evidence:

• Big, Juicy Hamburgers

• The most amazing Veggie Burgers!

• Copycat Nando’s Peri Peri Chicken Burgers

• Quick Crispy Seasoned Chicken Burgers

• Browse all Burgers and Sandwiches/Sliders

Life of Dozer

Can’t think of a better way to spend a lazy Saturday morning.

PS I’m reading Luke Nguyen’s Asian Street Food cookbook, and yep, that’s Dozer drooling licking his lips over the photos!!!

The post Avocado Chicken Burger appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

One of my favourite Chinese starters – Lettuce Wraps with pork or chicken, loads of hidden crunchy vegetables in a tasty savoury brown sauce, bundled up in fresh lettuce. Also known as San Choy Bow, it’s arguably the ultimate “just happens to be healthy” food in the whole wide world …..

This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!

San Choy Bow – Chinese Lettuce Wraps

The Chinese name for Lettuce Wraps is San Choy Bow which is how it’s written in menus at Chinese restaurants here in Sydney, though the spelling varies widely from place to place and I’m yet to find a definitive answer for what the proper spelling is.

I may not know how to spell it, but I do know you’re going to love them!!

How to make Lettuce Wraps

Lettuce wraps are made with ground / mince meat and vegetable filling with a savoury Chinese sauce spooned into lettuce cups, then wrapped into a roll shape to eat.

For a great Lettuce Wrap, it all comes down to the sauce. It takes more than just a splash of soy sauce to make a truly delish Lettuce Wrap.

Get the sauce right and you can pretty much put anything into the filling. And it is one of those rare recipes that is genuinely great made entirely vegetarian. I would just as happily scoff down a meat free version of this as I would a traditional pork version.

What goes in a Lettuce Wrap filling

I don’t think there are definitive rules for what goes in Lettuce Wraps, but the common ingredients I see at Chinese restaurants are:

• pork (chicken and turkey are ideal subs)

• water chestnuts

• onion

After this, things get a bit blurred. Other common ingredients which I’ve included in my recipe are:

• Baby corn

• Shiitake or other mushrooms

• Carrots

And those that border more towards “Western” Chinese have all sorts of other vegetables in it, like normal corn, capsicum etc.

Make it real with water chestnuts!

If you can find them, I really urge you to use Water Chestnuts. It doesn’t have a strong flavour, but the unique thing about Water chestnuts is the texture.

Even canned, it is crunchy and a bit juicy and it’s a quintessential part of the Chinese Lettuce Wrap experience. ☺️ Nowadays in Australia, they are found in both the Asian section and canned vegetable section of supermarkets (Woolies, Coles etc).

Lettuce wraps are a fantastic quick and easy meal that also happens to be healthy. In Chinese restaurants, it’s served with crisp Iceberg Lettuce which tends to crack when folded. For a more practical option, use soft lettuce leaves like Butter Lettuce or Bib Lettuce (US).

Enjoy!– Nagi x

More quick and easy Chinese restaurant favourites

• Chinese Chicken and Corn Soup

• Chop Suey (Chicken Stir Fry)

• Chow Mein

• Cashew Chicken

• Beef and Broccoli

• General Tso’s Chicken

• Sweet and Sour Pork

• Crispy Honey Chicken

• Browse all Chinese restaurant recipes

Watch How To Make It

This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!

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San Choy Bow (Chinese Lettuce Wraps)

Recipe video above. One of my favourite starters at Chinese restaurants, the ultimate (almost) carb free healthy dish of all time! It all comes down to the Sauce – with a great Sauce, you can change up the filling to your taste. I’ve copied the filling served by Chinese restaurants but feel free to substitute with other vegetables or make it entirely meat free (this is a great recipe to make vegetarian).

Course Appetizer, Dinner

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword Lettuce wraps, San Choy Bow

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 3

Calories 253cal

Author Nagi | RecipeTin Eats

Ingredients

Sauce

• 1 1/4 tsp cornflour / cornstarch
• 3 tbsp water, separated
• 1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce (Note 1)
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce (Note 1)
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (or sub Mirin or dry sherry, Note 2)
• 1 tsp white sugar (can omit)

Filling (Note 6)

• 1 tbsp peanut oil
• 1 clove large garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp ginger, minced
• 300g / 10oz pork mince (ground pork) (Note 3)
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 1 small carrot, finely chopped
• 100g/ 3.5oz canned water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped (Note 4)
• 5 baby corn, canned or fresh, finely chopped (Note 4)
• 5 mushrooms, finely chopped(shiitake is best, I used Swiss Brown)

Serving

• 8 leaves large or 16 – 20 small lettuce, preferably soft (Note 5)
• Crushed peanuts
• Finely sliced scallions / shallots

Instructions

• Mix cornflour with 1 tbsp water until lump free. Then add remaining Sauce ingredients and mix.
• Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add garlic and ginger, give it a quick stir then add onion.
• Cook for 1 minute then add pork. Cook pork until it turns white.
• Add all the vegetables. Cook for 2 minutes until the carrot is softened and pork is cooked through.
• Add Sauce and cook for 1 1/2 minutes or until it thickens and glossy, coating the Filling.
• Transfer Filling into serving bowl. Lay out lettuce leaves, peanuts and scallions on the side.
• To serve, spoon some Filling into a lettuce leaf. Top with peanuts and scallions, bundle it up and enjoy!

Notes

1. Light soy sauce adds the salt and the dark soy sauce adds a touch of colour. You can sub the dark soy with more light soy sauce, or just sub both the light and dark with ordinary soy sauce. The filling will just be a bit lighter in colour. Don’t just use all dark soy sauce – flavour is way too strong – or with a thick sweet soy sauce like kecap manis.

2. Chinese cooking wine – sub with Mirin or dry sherry. For a non alcoholic option, use chicken broth/stock (low sodium) in place of the Chinese wine AND water in the Sauce.

3. Protein – Also great with chicken but I prefer pork because it’s not as lean and has slightly more flavour. Chinese restaurants typically use pork. Never seen it with beef or lamb! Can also sub with 2 1/2 cups of chopped veggies of choice.

4. Water chestnuts – see in post for image. These are a key ingredient in San Choy Bow as served at Chinese restaurants here in Australia, but can be skipped. They have a natural light flavour, but it’s the texture that is unique – a fresh crunchiness.

Nowadays these are sold in both the Asian and canned vegetable section of major supermarkets.

5. Lettuce – Typically served at Chinese restaurants using crisp iceberg lettuce leaves which are cut into neat rounds so they are all the same size. My preference is to use soft lettuce leaves like Butter Lettuce or Bibb Lettuce (US) because iceberg has a tendency to crack when rolled to eat, causing juices to run out. I used Baby Gem Lettuce in the photos which come in twin packs at Woolworths.

6. Customise – I use 2 1/2 cups of chopped vegetables. You can substitute with whatever chopped vegetables you want, though I urge you to stick with the onion.

The meat can be substituted with 2 1/2 cups of any vegetable or chopped firm tofu. For a super quick version, make this with pork + frozen diced vegetables. Works a treat!

This recipe makes enough for 3 as a main (4 if it’s 2 adults and 2 kids) or around 6 as a starter.

7. Nutrition per serving, assuming 4 servings. This is a fantastic healthy dinner!

* 

* Originally published February 2017, updated for housekeeping matters.

Nutrition

Serving: 255g | Calories: 253cal

Life of Dozer

When Dozer ate a lady beetle… 🤣

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