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Iceberg Lettuce with Oyster Sauce
Learn how to make this quick and delicious iceberg lettuce served with classic Chinese garlic and oyster sauce. The versatile sauce goes well with other Chinese greens.
Iceberg lettuce with oyster sauce is one of the easiest Chinese vegetable side dishes anyone can learn to make at home.
The oyster sauce is a very versatile sauce that works with many vegetables. It goes well with traditional Chinese greens such as bok choy, napa cabbage, gai lan, or choy sum.
The sauce also works beautifully with non-traditional Chinese greens. I have tried using this sauce with broccoli, mushrooms, kale, cabbage, and spinach.
Ingredients for Iceberg Lettuce with Oyster Sauce
- iceberg lettuce
- garlic
- oyster sauce
- soy sauce
- sugar
- white pepper
- tapioca starch
How to Cook Iceberg Lettuce with Oyster Sauce
1. Prepare lettuce
Discard the stem from the lettuce and tear the leaves with your hands into large pieces. Wash, drain, and set aside.
2. Mix sauce
Stir oyster sauce, soy sauce, water, sugar, white pepper, and tapioca starch until homogenous. Set aside.
3. Blanch lettuce
Boil a large pot of water and turn off the heat. Quickly add lettuce into the pot and cover with a lid. After 1 minute, drain the lettuce with a strainer and arrange the lettuce on a serving plate.
TIPS: Do not overcook the lettuce. Use a timer so they don’t sit in the pot for longer than 1 minute to ensure a cooked but crispy and crunchy lettuce.
4. Cook sauce
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan and sauté garlic until fragrant. Add the sauce and stir until the sauce is thick.
5. Serve
Pour the sauce over the lettuce and serve immediately.
About Oyster Sauce and Tapioca Starch
Oyster sauce has oysters in it, so it is not a vegetarian-friendly sauce. Most Chinese use mushroom sauce to substitute for any recipe that calls for oyster sauce to make the dish vegetarian.
You can find mushroom sauce in most Asian markets, usually in the same section as oyster sauce. I have found both sauces sitting side by side in most supermarkets that I frequent.
My grandmother and mother use tapioca starch in their kitchen, so I stick to it when preparing Chinese dishes. But since the function of tapioca starch is to thicken sauces, you can safely substitute tapioca starch with cornstarch or katakuriko/potato starch.
Iceberg Lettuce with Oyster Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 (450 gram / 1 lb) iceberg lettuce
- 3 tablespoon oyster sauce (Note 1)
- 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
- 3 tablespoon water
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon tapioca starch (Note 2)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
Instructions
- Prepare lettuce: Discard the stem from the lettuce and tear the leaves with your hands into large pieces. Wash, drain, and set aside.
- Mix sauce: Stir oyster sauce, soy sauce, water, sugar, white pepper, and tapioca starch until homogenous. Set aside.
- Blanch lettuce: Boil a large pot of water and turn off the heat. Quickly add lettuce into the pot and cover with a lid. After 1 minute, drain the lettuce with a strainer and arrange the lettuce on a serving plate.
TIPS: Do not overcook the lettuce. Use a timer so they don’t sit in the pot for longer than 1 minute to ensure a cooked but crispy and crunchy lettuce. - Cook sauce: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan and sauté garlic until fragrant. Add the sauce and stir until the sauce is thick.
- Serve: Pour the sauce over the lettuce and serve immediately.
Notes
- (1) Use mushroom sauce to make the dish vegetarian.
- (2) Substitute tapioca starch with cornstarch or katakuriko/potato starch.
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