Seared Lettuce

With fish sauce

Most Western cooks tend only to eat lettuce raw, torn into salads or sandwiched between slices of bread. I like the freshness of raw lettuce, but have also grown up with lettuce stir-fried and melted into noodle soups. Lettuce has a natural sweetness that is brought out by a bit of heat. The trick is to cook it only very briefly, on a high heat, so that it is tender but still retains a crisp bite.

Serves 2

• 2 little gem lettuces
• 2 tablespoons groundnut oil
• 1–2 teaspoons fish sauce
• a pinch of unrefined brown sugar

To serve

• fried crackling (see here) or fried shallots (see here)

1. Halve the little gem lettuces lengthways through the core.
2. Heat a large frying pan or griddle pan on a high heat. Drizzle the groundnut oil over the cut surface of the lettuce, season with half the fish sauce and a pinch of sugar, then place cut side down on the hot pan. The lettuce should sizzle and char as the fish sauce and sugar caramelize.
3. Turn the heat down to medium and let cook for 2–3 minutes before turning over. Add the rest of the fish sauce to the pan and swirl so that it seasons all the lettuce halves on the other side. Cook for a minute, until the lettuce just about begins to wilt but is still crisp.
4. Serve scattered with crushed fried crackling or fried shallots. You can chop the halved lettuces into smaller wedges to serve if you like.

Note: You can also grill the lettuce. Brush it with oil, fish sauce and sugar and place on a hot barbecue for half a minute or less, turning once charred.