Spicy Stir Fried Lettuce Recipes

STIR-FRIED LETTUCE, A HEALTHY COOKED LETTUCE RECIPE

Steps:

• Take the lettuce and firmly hit it on the counter to remove the core. (One of the first of many tricks I learned when working in the restaurant industry!)
• Remove the first outer layer of the lettuce and any discolored leaves and discard. Tear the lettuce with your hands into large 4 to 5-inch pieces.
• Place the lettuce in a large bowl of very cold water and give it a good stir. This washes your lettuce and rehydrates it. Next, drain the lettuce in a colander and give it a good shake to remove the excess water from the surface of the lettuce. Iceberg lettuce already contains a lot of water, so removing the excess water is important, or you'll end up with too much liquid. Feel free to use a salad spinner, which is a good idea if your stove and wok does not generate enough high heat.
• Combine the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, salt, sugar, white pepper into a small bowl and set aside.
• Heat your wok over low heat, and add 2 tablespoons of oil and the fresh ginger slice. Make sure to smash the ginger with the side of a knife to release the juices and flavors before you add it. Infuse the oil for 15 seconds, being careful not to burn the ginger.
• Turn the heat up to the highest setting, and stir in the chopped garlic. Then mmediately add the iceberg lettuce. Stir-fry everything together, using a scooping motion to coat the lettuce uniformly with the oil. After about 20 seconds, gather the lettuce in the middle of the wok in a pile, so you can see the liquid pooling around it in the wok.
• Let cook uncovered for another 15 seconds, and while this is happening, pour the soy sauce mixture over the lettuce. At this point, the sides of the wok will start to super-heat. This may be tough to achieve on your average stove burner, but do your best!
• Now in a single motion, stir the lettuce in a circular motion while spreading the lettuce out across the wok. The idea is to get the lettuce and the liquid searing along the sides of the wok to get that wok hei flavor. After the searing has stopped, repeat the process of gathering the lettuce in the middle of the wok again and letting the sides of the wok heat up again.
• After this second round of searing, your iceberg lettuce should be tender, with the green parts wilted. Stir fried lettuce should be slightly crunchy, so be sure not to overcook it. This whole process from start to finish takes less than 2 minutes in the wok.

SPICY STIR-FRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Whisk soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, chile paste, sesame oil, crushed red pepper, garlic, cornstarch, and ginger together in a bowl.

STIR-FRIED GARLIC LETTUCE

Steps:

• Combine the rice wine or sherry, soy sauce, sugar, and salt in a small bowl.
• Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes within 1 to 2 seconds of contact. Swirl in the vegetable oil, add the garlic, and stir-fry for 5 seconds. Add the lettuce and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes, or until it is just limp. Stir the sauce, swirl it into the wok, and stir-fry for 30 seconds to 1 minute more, or until the lettuce is just tender and still bright green. Remove from the heat, drizzle on the sesame oil, and serve.

STIR-FRIED ICEBERG LETTUCE WITH SHRIMP

Steps:

• Combine soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine, sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl and mix well; set aside.
• Put a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the peanut oil, swirl it around and immediately add garlic and ginger. Cook for 15 seconds, stirring, then add scallion and lettuce. Raise heat to high and cook, stirring occasionally, until lettuce just softens, about 2 to 3 minutes; transfer everything to a plate and set aside.
• Turn the heat down to medium, add remaining tablespoon of oil, let it get hot, add shrimp and sprinkle with salt and pepper; raise heat to high, continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until shrimp turn pink and are no longer translucent, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Turn heat down to medium, return lettuce to pan, and toss once or twice. Stir sauce to make sure cornstarch and sugar are well blended and add to pan. Cook until everything is warmed through and sauce thickens. Garnish with chopped scallions and serve.

STIR-FRIED LETTUCE

Steps:

• Wash and dry lettuce. Tear or cut into pieces a bit bigger than bite sized. Separate leaves and dicard core.
• In a small bowl mix soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar. Set aside.
• Place 14 inch wok or 12 inch frying pan on medium-high heat. When hot, add the salad oil and garlic. Stir fry until the garlic begins to take a little color.
• Add lettuce and stir fry until slightly limp but still somewhat crisp.
• Stir in the soy sauce mixture and toss well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Serve at once.

SPICY CHICKEN LETTUCE WRAPS

Steps:

• Sprinkle chicken with pepper. In a large skillet or wok, stir-fry chicken in 1 tablespoon oil until no longer pink. Remove and set aside., Stir-fry onion and peppers in remaining oil for 5 minutes. Add the water chestnuts, mushrooms and garlic; stir-fry 2-3 minutes longer or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Add stir-fry sauce and soy sauce. Stir in chicken; heat through., Place 1/2 cup chicken mixture on each lettuce leaf; sprinkle each with 1-1/2 teaspoons peanuts and 1/4 teaspoon cilantro. Fold lettuce over filling.

SPICY PORK STIR-FRY

Steps:

• Cut the pork into 1/8-in. wide slices; cut each slice into 3-in. strips. In a bowl, combine the soy sauce, cornstarch, salt, sugar, ginger and cayenne. Add pork; toss to coat and set aside. , In a large skillet or wok, stir-fry onion, carrot and garlic in oil until crisp-tender. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep warm. , In the same skillet, stir-fry pork over medium-high heat until browned and no longer pink. Add onion mixture and peas; heat through. Serve in lettuce cups or over rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.

SPICY STIR FRIED LETTUCE

Steps:

• Melt margarine and evoo in saucepan.
• Add lettuce, garlic and crushed red pepper.
• Stir fry until lettuce is wilted about 10 minutes.
• Stir in oyster sauce.
• Serve.

STIR-FRIED LETTUCE WITH CRISPY GARLIC AND FRIED EGGS

Steps:

• Using a sharp paring knife, run it around the core of the lettuce, then gently pull it out. Remove any discolored outer layers of the lettuce and discard. Tear the lettuce into large chunks. Wash the leaves and allow them to drain after gently shaking in a colander.
• In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, vegetarian stir-fry or oyster sauce, sugar and ¼ teaspoon salt. Season with pepper.
• Heat a large (12-inch) deep skillet on medium-high. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil to lightly coat the pan, then add the ginger and cook for 15 to 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the lettuce and stir-fry for 2 minutes, until it starts to wilt. Pour the sauce over the lettuce and stir-fry for another 1 to 2 minutes. (Take care not to overcook, as you want your lettuce to retain some crunch.) Taste and season with salt, if needed. Place the lettuce (and all the pan juices) in a bowl and set aside. Once your skillet is cool enough to handle, rinse it out and dry.
• To the same skillet over medium-high heat, add the ¼ cup olive oil and sliced garlic. Stir constantly for 3 to 4 minutes until the garlic turns a pale golden brown. (Watch carefully! It burns quickly.) Remove the garlic from the oil with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to drain; it will continue to brown and crisp as it cools.
• To the remaining oil in the skillet over medium-high heat, add the eggs and cook untouched until whites are set, 2 to 3 minutes.
• To serve, place a mound of rice in a bowl, top with lettuce, some pan juices, a fried egg, crispy garlic and a scatter of sesame seeds and scallions. Finish with a tiny drizzle of Maggi seasoning sauce, if using.

STIR-FRIED LETTUCE

Steps:

• Peel apart the lettuce leaves and roughly tear them into smaller pieces. I usually just halve each leaf. Heat the oil in a wok or a large frying pan (metal woks, rather than non-stick, give a better flavour to this dish). Throw in the garlic and fry for 1 min until fragrant, then add the lettuce leaves - they will make a noisy sizzle.
• Add the oyster sauce and 100ml water. Fold in all the lettuce so that it is well coated. Add the white pepper. Cook all the leaves until they start to wilt but still have crunch.

STIR-FRIED LETTUCES WITH CRISPY SHALLOTS

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over low heat. Add shallots; cook, stirring often, until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate and season lightly with salt and pepper (shallots will crisp as they cool).
• Increase heat to medium; add sausage and next 3 ingredients to same skillet; stir for 2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup water; scrape up any browned bits. Increase heat to medium-high; add lettuce and watercress and cook, tossing often, just until wilted, 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle fried shallots over. Serve with brown rice.