Kiddy San Choy Bau

This is a Chinese-style dinner for kids that turns dinner into a self-assembly game. The pork mince, soy, oyster sauce, and water chestnuts do all the heavy flavor work, then kids spoon the filling into a cold iceberg lettuce cup and wrap it up themselves.

The bash-the-lettuce trick is genius. Holding a whole iceberg head by the leaves and smacking the stem hard against the counter loosens the core so the leaves peel off cleanly in cup shapes. It sounds violent but saves ten minutes of picking and tearing.

Cook the pork mince in batches if the pan is small. Overcrowding steams the meat into gray chunks instead of the crumbly, browned texture you want. Break it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks so no large clumps form.

Kitchen Tips

• Rinse the lettuce after separating so water flows between layers. This helps further separate any stubborn leaves and crisps them up.
• Shake the leaves dry thoroughly. Wet lettuce cups leak sauce everywhere.
• Stir in the bean sprouts off the heat so they stay snappy and fresh.
• Serve the filling and lettuce separately so the leaves stay crisp until assembled.

Variations

• Swap pork for ground chicken, turkey, or beef.
• Use butter or bibb lettuce if iceberg isn’t available.
• Add diced mushrooms, bamboo shoots, or bell pepper for extra vegetables.
• Serve alongside rice or dumplings for a bigger meal.