Make this super quick and easy Cantonese lettuce with oyster sauce for a delicious and healthy side in 10 minutes. This recipe helps you serve up a large amount of lettuce with a delicious aromatic sauce. {Gluten-Free Adaptable, Vegan}
Summer is the peak of various vegetables and we’ve been getting so much lettuce from our garden and CSA boxes. Today I want to show you one of my favorite recipes to enjoy a lot of lettuce in one sitting!
What is Lettuce with oyster sauce
Lettuce with oyster sauce, or Hao You Sheng Cai (蚝油生菜), is a famous Cantonese dish that you may often see in dim sum restaurants. Growing up in China, we would order this dish quite often to pair with our favorite shrimp dumplings and pork shumai.
In the US, lettuce is almost always served raw. But did you know you can also blanch lettuce to get a delicious result?
This recipe quickly blanches the lettuce so it’s slightly wilted but remains crisp. Then it is served with a savory sweet sauce made with oyster sauce and garlic. The aromatic sauce pairs so well with the tender lettuce leaves that you will find it really easy to finish a big plate in one sitting.
Ingredients
You only need five ingredients to make this lettuce with oyster sauce.
What type of lettuce to use
In China it is quite common to use iceberg lettuce for this dish. I also like to romaine lettuce because it has a more vibrant color and the taste is great. You can cook it with either.
Oyster sauce
Oyster sauce is a key ingredient in the sauce because it lends a savory rich taste with a hint of sweetness.
In this recipe, I used vegetarian oyster sauce instead of regular oyster sauce to make the dish plant-based. But please feel free to use either, and it will result in a great dish. If you would like a gluten-free dish, you can also use gluten-free oyster sauce.
Mise en place
Once you’re done prepping for the dish, your table should have:
- Cut and rinsed lettuce leaves
- Mixed sauce
- Minced garlic
How to make lettuce with oyster sauce
Making lettuce with oyster sauce is super easy and can be done in 10 minutes.
- Lightly blanch the lettuce in boiling water
- Chill the lettuce in an ice bath, then pat it dry
- Fry the garlic in oil to release the fragrance
- Pour in the sauce and cook for 1 minute
- Pour the sauce over the plated lettuce
That’s it! You will get a beautiful and super flavorful side dish to go with your dinner.
Cooking notes for lettuce with oyster sauce
- It’s very important to not overcook the lettuce, because doing so will turn it a bit bitter. It usually only takes 20 to 30 seconds to submerge the lettuce in the boiling water and blanch it.
- Adding a bit of oil and salt to the boiling water will help the lettuce remain vibrant in color once cooked.
- When you cook the sauce, it’s important to use low heat and let the sauce simmer for a minute. If you do not cook the sauce thoroughly, the oyster sauce may have an unpleasant raw taste.
Pair lettuce with oyster sauce with these easy mains
- Soy Sauce Pan Fried Noodles (广式豉油皇炒面)
- Easy Salt Baked Chicken (简易盐焗鸡)
- Ginger Chicken Stir Fry
- Instant Pot Pork Ribs (Chinese-Style)
- Stir Fried Vermicelli with Pork (Ma Yi Shang Shu, 蚂蚁上树)
Cantonese Lettuce with Oyster Sauce (蚝油生菜)
Ingredients
- 3 heads (340 g / 12 oz) romaine lettuce (*Footnote 1)
- 2 tablespoons vegetarian oyster sauce (or regular oyster sauce)
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
- 5 cloves garlic , minced
Instructions
- Cut the tough ends off the lettuce and halve the lettuce lengthwise. Rinse with cold tap water then drain thoroughly. Prepare a large bowl of water with ice for a water bath.
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add a few drops of vegetable oil and a pinch of salt (*Footnote 2). Add the lettuce leaves and turn off the heat. Stir for about 10 seconds, until the lettuce just starts to soften. Immediately drain and transfer the lettuce to the water bath to stop cooking. Then drain thoroughly again, remove excess water with paper towels, then transfer to a large plate.
- Mix the oyster sauce, soy sauce and sugar in a small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of water and mix well.
- Add oil to a small frying pan and heat over medium heat until hot. Add the garlic. Stir and cook for a few seconds to release the fragrance. Pour in the mixed sauce and turn to medium low heat. Simmer and stir for 1 minute, until the sauce is thick and bubbly. If the sauce becomes too dry, add a splash of water and mix well. (*Footnote 3)
- Once the sauce is cooked, pour over the plated lettuce. Serve immediately as a side dish.
Notes
- You can use 1 head of iceberg lettuce to cook this dish as well.
- Adding the oil and salt will keep the lettuce leaves color more vibrant after cooking.
- It’s important to cook the sauce thoroughly to cook off the raw taste from the oyster sauce.
