Pork Yuk Sung - Spicy Pork in Lettuce Leaves
So easy to make at home, a very popular dish that's always on the menu in any Chinese restaurant.
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.Usually, it's served as a starter. If you've ever had it, you might wonder what the crispy bits in yuk sung are, they are crispy rice vermicelli.
This lettuce wrap recipe tastes as near to the dish that is served in restaurants as you can get. 😉
If you don't eat pork, you can make this in exactly the same way but using chicken mince instead.
Okay, there is a fair bit of chopping to do, so as with any recipe it's best to get everything out of the cupboard and fridge and begin!
Once you're all prepped, the dish takes no time at all to actually cook.
I served it as a starter to Kung Pao Chicken, although you will probably only want one each if you are serving it as a starter since it's surprisingly quite filling, and we're both quite greedy people!
Ingredients to serve 6
- 1 tbsp sesame oil for frying
- 1 Iceberg lettuce
- 500g ground pork 5% fat or less
- fresh ginger - peeled and finely grated (enough to make 2 teaspoons)
- 2 cloves of garlic - finely chopped
- 2 spring onions - finely chopped
- a stalk of celery - finely chopped
- 1 x carrot - finely diced
- 1 x 220g can of water chestnuts - drained and finely chopped
For the sauce
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbs Shaoxing (Chinese rice wine) or you could use dry sherry
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
Method
Wash the lettuce, dry, and be careful not to tear the leaves, separate the leaves keeping them whole. Pat dry and put it to one side.
In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, Shaoxing and sugar, and sesame oil. Do not leave out the sugar, as it just won't be the same.
Heat the ½ tablespoon of sesame oil in a non-stick frying pan on high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, and spring onions and fry until the garlic and ginger are aromatic.
Add the minced pork, stir, and cook until the pork is browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add the celery, water chestnuts, and carrot to the frying pan and cook over high heat.
Then put the pork back in the pan along with the sauce and continue to cook at medium heat until the sauce is reduced, and the mixture becomes dryer and the pork is brown.
How to serve yuk sung
Layout a lettuce leaf and spoon a big heap of the cooked mixture into the middle and fold it into a wrap and eat immediately.
If you quite like the idea of lettuce wraps, I'm sure you'll like Gordon Ramsay's Chilli Beef Lettuce Wraps.
Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe card below!
Pork Yuk Sung
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil for frying
- 1 Iceberg lettuce
- 500g ground pork 5% fat or less
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger - peeled and finely grated
- 2 cloves of garlic - finely chopped
- 2 spring onions - finely chopped
- a stalk of celery - finely chopped
- 1 x carrot - finely diced
- 1 x 220g can of water chestnuts - drained and finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing (Chinese rice wine) or you could use dry sherry
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil - divided
Instructions
- Wash the lettuce, dry, and be careful not to tear the leaves, separate leaves keeping them whole. Pat dry and put it to one side.
- In a small bowl mix together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, Shaoxing and sugar, and ½ a tablespoon sesame oil. Do not leave out the sugar as it just won't be the same.
- Heat the other ½ tablespoon of sesame oil in a non-stick frying pan on high heat.
- Add the garlic, ginger, and spring onions and fry until the garlic and ginger are aromatic.
- Add the minced pork and cook until the pork is browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add the celery, water chestnuts, and carrot to the frying pan and cook over high heat.
- Then put the pork back in the pan along with the sauce and continue to cook at medium heat until sauce is reduced and the mixture becomes dryer and the pork is brown.
- Layout a lettuce leaf and spoon a big heap of the cooked mixture into the middle and fold into a wrap and eat immediately.
That looks good and sounds really tasty. Lettuce wraps are always fun!
ReplyDeleteI love yuk sung and make it often. Yours looks wonderful Jan...can I come for dinner?
ReplyDeleteWe've had this recipe at a friends and it is gorgeous, to add a little extra crunch, try crispy noodles to accompany it! Yum yum!
ReplyDeletethis is a fantastic recipe,and tastes exactly how my mom used to make it for me when i was younger. will be making this for many years as its aways a winner for guests and a personal favourite :)
ReplyDelete