Stir-Fried Lettuce, A Healthy Cooked Lettuce Recipe (2024)

Stir fried lettuce orChao Sheng Cài in Mandarin 炒生菜 or Chow Saung Choy in Cantonese dialectisn’t the first thing you jump to when you think of lettuce, but this cooked lettuce dish is refreshing, quick, easy to make, and goes with just about any dish you can think of in my opinion.

Whether you’re having Beef Rendang, Forty Garlic Chicken, or Salt and Pepper Pork Chops for your main dish, this stir-fried lettuce is the perfect side dish.

Another Way to Use Lettuce Besides Salad

What’s more, if you’re sick of chomping on rabbit salads, this is a great option for the head of lettuce in your refrigerator that you can’t bring to make into yet another salad. Sometimes a cooked lettuce or hot stir-fried lettuce is much better than a cold salad and is definitely a Chinese preference for sure!

You may be wondering why anyone would cook lettuce, how you cook lettuce, and if cooked lettuce even tastes good. Well, I have to report that both romaine lettuce and iceberg lettuce are great choices for this stir-fried lettuce recipe due to their high water content, fresh taste and crunchiness.

In fact, stir-fried lettuce is a very popular Cantonese dish and is served in many restaurants in China.

Tasty, crunchy and refreshing, iceberg lettuce is my favorite choice for stir fried lettuce, and this recipe, in my humble opinion, is the best way to cook it. This stir-fried lettuce recipe really brings out the true flavor of iceberg lettuce, and after you try it, you’ll have a newfound appreciation for humble lettuce!

Eating Lettuce During Chinese New Year

Another fun fact is that lettuce is a very popular vegetable for Chinese New Year. Lettuce, whether stir fried or served any other way, is a must-have ingredient in many Chinese households for Lunar New Year feasts.

The reason is thatSheng Cài (Mandarin) 生菜 or Saung Choy (Cantonese) has the Chinese word Sheng生 which when written and pronounced alone, means live or implies life, which is a good thing to start off any new lunar new year.

The Chinese wordsheng also means “to grow” and when combined with the word “lettuce,” sheng cái 生财 or to grow wealth is obviously also auspicious! However you see or hear it,this stir-fried lettuce dish is a good, if not essential candidate for a Chinese New Year vegetable side dish!

Stir-fried Lettuce: Recipe Instructions

Take the head of iceberg lettuce and firmly hit it on the counter firmly, with the stem side down to remove the core. (One of the first of many tricks I learned when working in the restaurant industry!) Here’s a quick video showing how it’s done:

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 immediately 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.

Stir-Fried Lettuce, A Healthy Cooked Lettuce Recipe

Stir-fried lettuce is refreshing, quick, easy to make, and goes with just about any dish you can think of in my opinion. Both romaine and iceberg lettuce are great choices for a cooked lettuce dish

by: Bill

Ingredients

▢ 1 head iceberg lettuce
▢ 2 teaspoons soy sauce
▢ 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
▢ ¼ teaspoon sesame oil
▢ ½ teaspoon salt
▢ ¼ teaspoon sugar
▢ ground white pepper to taste
▢ 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
▢ 1 slice ginger (⅛-inch thick, smashed with the side of a knife)
▢ 1 clove garlic (chopped)

Instructions

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.

nutrition facts

Calories: 90kcal (5%) Carbohydrates: 6g (2%) Protein: 2g (4%) Fat: 7g (11%) Saturated Fat: 6g (30%) Sodium: 718mg (30%) Potassium: 190mg (5%) Fiber: 2g (8%) Sugar: 3g (3%) Vitamin A: 675IU (14%) Vitamin C: 4mg (5%) Calcium: 27mg (3%) Iron: 0.6mg (3%)

nutritional info disclaimer

TheWoksofLife.com is written and produced for informational purposes only. While we do our best to provide nutritional information as a general guideline to our readers, we are not certified nutritionists, and the values provided should be considered estimates. Factors such as brands purchased, natural variations in fresh ingredients, etc. will change the nutritional information in any recipe. Various online calculators also provide different results, depending on their sources. To obtain accurate nutritional information for a recipe, use your preferred nutrition calculator to determine nutritional information with the actual ingredients and quantities used.

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Stir-Fried Lettuce, A Healthy Cooked Lettuce Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Does cooked lettuce still have nutrients? ›

Broccoli, spinach, and lettuce may lose up to 50% or more of their vitamin C when boiled ( 4 , 5). Because vitamin C is water-soluble and sensitive to heat, it can leach out of vegetables when they're immersed in hot water. B vitamins are similarly heat sensitive.

Is cooked lettuce ok to eat? ›

Yes, sometimes. But add a little heat, oil, and aromatics, and lettuce can take on a whole new set of flavors and textures. Cooking lettuce is a long-practiced technique in Chinese and Asian American cuisines. Among these communities, vegetables are less commonly eaten raw, often stir-fried or blanched instead.

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Is eating lettuce every day good for you? ›

This is a healthy habit and the side effects of lettuce are very rare. However, there is currently no scientific evidence to answer the question of whether eating a lot of lettuce is good? But similar to other herbs used daily, users can use lettuce every day but in moderation, do not overdo it.

What happens if I eat salad every day for a month? ›

"Eating salads on a daily basis as part of an overall healthy lifestyle may support gradual weight loss over time," says Karnatz. "This is because leafy greens are low in calories and high in volume and fiber, which will keep you satisfied for longer," she adds.

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Can too much lettuce be bad for you? ›

Generally, lettuce is safe for most people to eat. It isn't a common allergen. Because it's low in calories, there's not a big problem with eating too much lettuce.

Can lettuce be cooked like cabbage? ›

I find that cooked lettuces readily absorb other flavors, so they're great in braises. Just think of lettuce, like Little Gems and romaine, as a fun substitute for cabbage in slow-cooked dishes.

What happens if you don't wash lettuce before eating? ›

Infections like E. coli and other unsafe bacteria are easily avoided by properly washing your greens. And especially if you're getting your lettuce from a garden or local farm, you'll want to make sure you rinse out any possible dirt (where bacteria often hides) or bugs that you don't want in your salad.

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Do leafy greens lose nutrients when cooked? ›

Boiling and cooking vegetables in high temperatures or in water can also decrease their nutrient level. Water soluble vitamins like vitamin C and B vitamins are often lost during these cooking methods. Minerals like potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc may be reduced by up to 60-70%.

Keep Reading ›

What happens to lettuce when you cook it? ›

As a piece by Delish explains, lettuce when cooked can taste even better. The types that often react best with heat are romaine lettuce and endive. When cooked, lettuce tends to develop a smoky flavor, something that's bound to make your dish tastier.

Tell Me More ›

Is cooked lettuce easier to digest? ›

Raw lettuce can be harder to digest than cooked lettuce, as cooking breaks down some of the tough fibers and makes the nutrients more easily accessible. However, overcooking lettuce can also lead to a loss of nutrients, so it's important to find a balance that works for your digestive system.