San choy bao literally translates from Cantonese to "lettuce wrap," and its contours are wide: cold iceberg lettuce, a stir-fry of finely diced vegetables and protein, and sweet Chinese bean sauce like hoisin. Unlike soft, warm comfort food, which lulls you, san choy bao wakes you up. It feels like a duel, with jabs of hot and cold, lunging back and forth between two worlds. The crunch of icy lettuce snaps into the filling's steaming crisp bits.

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Recipe Details

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Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 35 minutes Servings: 4-6 servings Difficulty: Easy

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Ingredients

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For the Crunchy Noodles (Optional):

• Canola oil, for frying
• 2 ounces dried rice vermicelli, broken into smaller pieces

For the Sauce:

• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce or tian mian jiang (sweet bean sauce), plus more for serving
• 1½ tablespoons Shaoxing or other rice wine, or dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

For the Filling:

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 red Fresno chile or serrano chile, finely chopped (seeded for mild)
• ½ large yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 pound ground or very finely diced pork, chicken or turkey
• Freshly ground white or black pepper
• 2 celery stalks, finely diced, plus leaves for garnish
• 1 (8-ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and diced, or 3 fresh water chestnuts, peeled and diced
• 1 head iceberg lettuce, leaves separated for serving, chilled

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Equipment

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• Wok or large skillet
• Small saucepan (if making crispy noodles)
• Paper towel-lined plate
• Slotted spoon or chopsticks

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Instructions

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For the Noodles (Optional):

1. Set a paper towel-lined plate and slotted spoon or chopsticks next to the stovetop. Pour ½ inch of oil into a small saucepan. Heat over medium until shimmering, 2 to 3 minutes. Test the oil: When you drop in a noodle, the noodle should immediately puff and turn white. (If it turns brown and brittle, the oil is too hot. Turn down the heat slightly.)
2. Add a small bundle of noodles and cook just until they puff and turn white, about a second. Transfer immediately to the paper towels. Repeat with the remaining noodles.

For the Sauce: 3. In a small bowl, stir the cornstarch into a tablespoon of water until it dissolves. Stir in the soy sauce, hoisin, wine and sesame oil.

For the Filling: 4. Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil (if you made the noodles, use some of that oil) in a wok or large skillet over high. When it shimmers, add the garlic, ginger and chile, and stir until fragrant and shiny, 10 seconds. Add the onion and stir until translucent at the edges, 1 to 2 minutes.

1. Add the meat and spread and mash it into the aromatics. Generously grind pepper all over. Cook, stirring and breaking the meat into small chunks, until cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Add the celery and water chestnuts and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir the sauce, pour it into the wok and stir until everything is coated and the pan juices have thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the filling to a large serving dish. If your celery had leaves, use them as garnish.
3. Set the filling next to a platter of the lettuce, a dish of hoisin and the plate of noodles, if using. To eat, swipe some sauce into a lettuce leaf, stuff it with filling and top with noodles.

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Tips & Notes

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• For an especially flavorful filling, choose ground meat with a higher percentage of fat or cuts of meat with more fat, such as dark meat chicken or turkey, or pork shoulder or belly
• This also is delicious with finely diced or ground duck or squab or, for those who don't eat meat, with diced baked tofu, shrimp or fish
• Fresh water chestnuts provide a unique woodsy crunch if you can find them
• The deep-fried noodles aren't essential, but they add a fantastic crackle to the juicy filling
• Jicama can substitute for water chestnuts for a fresher taste
• A food processor saves time for the finely diced items

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Storage

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Store filling and lettuce separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat filling before serving. Keep lettuce crisp by wrapping in paper towels. Fried noodles should be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Tags: Chinese, Quick, Weeknight, Easy, Ground Meat

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Recipe Source:

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New York Times Cooking - Genevieve Ko (Updated Aug. 13, 2025)

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5 stars - 91 ratings)

Last Made: