San choy bau

A twist on traditional san choy bau, this version features seafood over pork mince. It's a wonderful appetiser or can even make for a light and fast weeknight dinner.

Credit: Leanne Kitchen and Antony Suvalko

• serves

  4-6

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 6 small dried Chinese mushrooms
• 2 tbsp pine nuts
• 1 egg white, beaten
• 2 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
• 600 g (1 lb 5 oz) raw king prawns (shrimp), peeled, cleaned and chopped
• 350 g (12. oz) skinless ocean trout fillet, pin bones removed, chopped
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp shaoxing rice wine
• 2 tsp finely shredded ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 225 g (8 oz) tin water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
• 3 spring onions (scallions), finely shredded
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• coriander (cilantro) leaves, to garnish (optional)
• iceberg lettuce leaves, thick ribs removed, to serve

Soaking time 30 minutes

Instructions

Put the dried mushrooms in a small heatproof bowl, cover with boiling water and soak for 30 minutes, or until softened. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of the soaking liquid. Finely chop the mushrooms.

While the mushrooms are soaking, toast the pine nuts in a small, heavy-based frying pan over a medium–low heat, shaking the pan often, for 2–3 minutes, or until lightly golden, taking care as they can burn easily.

Transfer to a plate to cool.

Put the egg white, cornflour, prawn meat and fish in a bowl and mix with a fork to combine well. Add the soy sauce, oyster sauce and rice wine and stir to combine. Put the mushrooms in a bowl with the ginger, garlic, water chestnuts, spring onions and sesame oil and toss to combine.

Heat a wok over a high heat, add the vegetable oil, then the mushroom mixture and stir-fry for 3 minutes, or until the mixture is fragrant and the spring onions have just started to soften. Add the fish mixture and cook, stirring often, for about 3 minutes, or until the prawns and fish are just cooked through. Add a little of the reserved mushroom liquid if the mixture is too dry.

Place the fish mixture on a platter and sprinkle with the pine nuts and coriander, if using. Each guest takes a lettuce leaf, fills it with the fish mixture, then wraps it up in the leaf to eat. Serve with steamed rice.

This is an exclusive sneak peek recipe from Leanne Kitchen's home-style Chinese cookbook, co-authored with Antony Suvalko, to be published by Hardie Grant Books in October 2014.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.