An epicurean adventure to: China
If you're in the mood for a light and refreshing meal or appetiser, give Yuk Sung a go!
This is a classic Chinese dish with a fragrant ground meat filling, wrapped in crisp lettuce leaves. It's packed with a variety of vegetables and takes less than 30 minutes to prepare.
The ground meat is cooked in a sweet and savoury sauce, making this a winning recipe for something light that still packs a punch.
These delicious Chinese lettuce wraps, or 'San Choy Bow', are simply a wonderful dish. You can garnish it with an array of spicy and crunchy toppings. Pick your favourite ground meat, whether that be beef, pork or chicken.
You can also swap the veggies out for your favourites. So, give it a try with our easy step-by-step instructions and this might just become part of your regular meal plan too!
Jump to:
- Fast facts - China
- What's to love about this recipe
- Key ingredient notes and substitutions
- Equipment needed
- How to make Yuk Sung - step by step
- To make the meat filling
- Variations
- What can you serve with Yuk Sung?
- Storage
- Can you freeze Yuk Sung?
- Should you eat Yuk Sung hot or cold?
- More delicious Asian recipes
- More salad recipes you may enjoy
- More Asian-inspired recipes
- Recipe
Fast facts - China
| Location | China is located in East Asia, bordered by 14 countries including Russia, India, and Vietnam. |
| Language | The official language of China is Mandarin Chinese, which is spoken by the majority of the population. There are also several other languages and dialects spoken by different ethnic groups within the country. |
| Population | Over 1.4 billion people. |
| Trivia | Sticky rice had a surprising role in the construction of the Great Wall. The mortar used to bind its stones was made by mixing sticky rice soup with slaked lime. This unique combination created a strong and water-resistant composite mortar, contributing to the durability of the Great Wall. |
What's to love about this recipe
- This Yuk Sung recipe is quick and easy, taking less than 30 minutes to prepare, ideal for a healthy midweek dish.
- Light and refreshing, it's perfect for a summer meal or as a unique appetiser or side dish for a barbecue.
- This recipe is great for anyone wanting to eat healthier as it is so low in carbs.
- To make this dish vegetarian, simply substitute the meat with soya mince or tofu and use vegetarian oyster sauce.
- The gem lettuce leaves give a satisfying crunch.
- The sweet and savoury sauce is simply delicious and adds a whole lot of flavour to these small bites.
- Gluten-free.
Key ingredient notes and substitutions
Ground meat
For this recipe, we used low-fat beef mince, but you can also use ground pork, ground chicken or ground turkey.
For pork Yuk Sung you can replace the beef mince with lean pork mince. Chicken mince offers an ever healthier option.
Mushrooms
You can use fresh shiitake mushrooms, dried shiitake mushrooms, button mushrooms, chestnut mushrooms, portobello or whichever mushrooms are easily available to you.
Chinese five spice
We recommend adding half a teaspoon for this recipe but feel free to increase it to one teaspoon if you prefer a stronger flavour.
Soy sauce
You can also use light soy sauce or a combination of light and dark soy sauce.
Garlic and ginger
For convenience, we use the pastes but feel free to use fresh ginger and garlic.
Lettuce
Gem lettuce is an excellent choice for this recipe. Its small but sturdy leaves can hold the filling well. They also offer a lovely combination of sweetness and crispiness.
If you don't have gem lettuce, you can also use Iceberg, Romaine lettuce or any other lettuce with robust leaves.
Garnishes
We include no less than four toppings: sliced spring onions, chopped chives, sliced chilli and chopped peanuts.
The choice of toppings and quantities is entirely up to you. We highly recommend trying all of them as they each contribute something special to every bite, especially the peanuts!
You can also sprinkle some sesame seeds for added flavour and texture, plus it looks appetising.
Equipment needed
You will need a large non-stick frying pan, a wok, or a large-based saucepan.
How to make Yuk Sung - step by step
Prepping
- Dice the onions, carrots, celery and mushrooms into very small cubes.
- Mince the garlic and grate the ginger (unless using paste).
- Mix together all the ingredients for the Yuk Sung sauce.
- Make sure the cornflour is fully dissolved.
To make the meat filling
- Add half the olive oil to a large frying pan and heat over medium-high heat.
- Add the minced meat together with the garlic and ginger.
- Fry the meat for 5-7 minutes until it is fully cooked. Break up the meat into small pieces while frying. Once cooked, transfer the meat to a bowl.
- Add the second half of olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the onions and fry for 1 minute.
- Add the carrots and celery and stir fry for another minute.
- Add the mushrooms and fry the vegetables until cooked through.
- Add the ground meat back into the pan along with the sweet soy sauce mixture, salt and Chinese five spice.
- Cook together over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly.
Assembling the Yuk Sung
- Cut the root end of the gem lettuce to separate the leaves. Wash and dry the leaves thoroughly. You can also shock the leaves in a bowl of iced water for extra crispiness.
- Spoon tablespoons of the meat filling onto the middle of the lettuce 'cups'. Be careful not to overload it or the leaves will lose their 'bowl' shape.
- Garnish with sliced spring onions, finely sliced red chilli, chopped chives and finely chopped peanuts. Garnishes are optional and you can choose whichever garnish you prefer, if any.
- Transfer to a serving bowl or large plate.
Variations
- Use chicken, pork or turkey mince instead of beef.
- Make it vegetarian by using soya mince or tofu and swap the oyster sauce with the vegetarian version.
- Try adding different vegetables like bell peppers, peas, water chestnuts, cucumber, a handful of beansprouts, corn, bamboo shoots etc.
- Add an extra tablespoon of sesame oil, hoisin sauce or chilli sauce.
- Swap the peanuts for chopped pecans, walnuts or cashews.
- Add some extra Asian flavours with star anise or chilli flakes.
What can you serve with Yuk Sung?
- Rice, like coconut rice.
- Noodles, like Chinese rice noodles or vermicelli noodles.
- Dipping sauces like hoisin, sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce or chilli oil.
- Serve with other side dishes like stir-fried vegetables, pickled vegetables or egg rolls.
- Serve with soup.
Storage
The Yuk Sung filling will keep well in the fridge, sealed in an airtight container for up to three days. Don't assemble it with the lettuce leaves until right before serving.
Can you freeze Yuk Sung?
You can freeze the filling without the lettuce in an airtight container for up to 3 months. To defrost, remove from the freezer the day before serving and allow to thaw in the fridge overnight. Warm it in a frying, saucepan or in the microwave. Serve with fresh lettuce leaves.
Should you eat Yuk Sung hot or cold?
You can eat it hot, at room temperature or cold!
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Recipe
Yuk Sung
Equipment
- 1 large frying pan
Ingredients
For the meat filling
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 500 grams lean beef mince - or pork, or chicken mince
- 2 teaspoons crushed garlic - or garlic paste
- 2 teaspoons grated ginger - or ginger paste
- 100 grams onion - or one medium onion, finely diced
- 130 grams carrot - or one large carrot, finely diced
- 80 grams celery - or one stalk celery, finely diced
- 200 grams mushrooms - finely diced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon Chinese five spice
- 2-3 gem lettuces - very fresh
Yuk Sung sauce ingredients
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornflour
- 1 tablespoon water
Optional garnishes
- 2 spring onions - finely sliced
- 1 red chilli - finely sliced
- 1 tablespoon chopped chives
- chopped peanuts
Instructions
Prepping
- Dice the onions, carrots, celery and mushrooms finely.
- Mince the garlic and grate the ginger (unless using paste).
- Mix together all the ingredients for the Yuk Sung sauce. Make sure the cornflour is fully dissolved.
Make the meat filling
- Add half the olive oil to a large frying pan and heat over medium-high heat.
- Add the ground meat together with the garlic and ginger. Fry for 5-7 minutes until the meat is cooked through. Break the meat up quite finely whilst cooking. Remove the cooked meat to a bowl.
- Add the second half of olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the onions and fry for 1 minute.
- Add the carrots and celery and fry for another minute.
- Add the mushrooms and fry the vegetables until cooked through.
- Add the ground meat back into the pan along with the sauce, salt and Chinese five spice.
- Cook together for 2-3 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly.
Assembling the Yuk Sung
- Cut the root end of the gem lettuce to loosen the leaves. Wash and dry the leaves thoroughly. You can also shock the leaves in an ice bath for extra crispiness.
- Spoon tablespoons of the meat filling onto the middle of each gem lettuce leaf. Be careful not to overload it or the leaves will lose their 'bowl' shape.
- Garnish with sliced spring onions, finely sliced red chilli, chopped chives and finely chopped peanuts. Garnishes are optional and you can choose whichever garnish you prefer.
**Nutritional data disclaimer**
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is calculated by a third party and we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We try our best to give you the most accurate information, but we do not take responsibility for errors that may be present. Also, the nutritional value of the recipe may change depending on the exact brands and products used. We recommend that you consult with a qualified healthcare professional or registered dietitian for personalised advice on your dietary needs.
Nutrition
For food safety advice, including guidance on food allergies
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