Hannah Che’s Blanched Lettuce with Ginger Sauce
The American imagination is woefully limited when it comes to lettuce. For instance, who says lettuce needs to be raw? There was a moment some years back when grilled romaine was in fashion, but we can’t think of any other cooked lettuce from the Americas. (Are we overlooking one? Please tell us in a comment!)
With this dish, adapted from Hannah Che’s wonderful 2022 book The Vegan Chinese Kitchen, leaves of romaine get briefly dunked in boiling water, then dried and dressed with a warm sauce with lots of ginger, plus soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil and a touch of sugar. At the supermarket, we chose a loose head of organic romaine for this, rather than pre-packaged romaine hearts — much prettier leaves!
Serves 4.
Ingredients
1 medium head (12 ounces / 340 grams) romaine or other ribbed lettuce, leaves separated
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Instructions
1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Meanwhile, prepare a large bowl of ice and water. Plunge the lettuce leaves into the boiling water, and leave for about 30 seconds, until they’re vibrant green but the ribs are still crisp. Use tongs to transfer them to the ice water to stop the cooking, then drain them and shake as dry as possible. Place the leaves in a large bowl.
2. In a small saucepan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the ginger and cook briefly until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, about 15 seconds. Remove from the heat and stir in the sesame oil.
3. Scrape the sauce out over the drained lettuce and gently fold to coat the leaves. Arrange the lettuce on a serving plate and pour on the sauce that has collected at the bottom of the bowl. Serve immediately.
Hannah Che's Blanched Lettuce with Ginger Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 medium head (12 ounces / 340 grams) romaine or other ribbed lettuce, leaves separated
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Meanwhile, prepare a large bowl of ice and water. Plunge the lettuce leaves into the boiling water, and leave for about 30 seconds, until they’re vibrant green but the ribs are still crisp. Use tongs to transfer them to the ice water to stop the cooking, then drain them and shake as dry as possible. Place the leaves in a large bowl.
- In a small saucepan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the ginger and cook briefly until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, about 15 seconds. Remove from the heat and stir in the sesame oil.
- Scrape the sauce out over the drained lettuce and gently fold to coat the leaves. Arrange the lettuce on a serving plate and pour on the sauce that has collected at the bottom of the bowl. Serve immediately.
