Quail sang choy bao

Serves 4-6

One of the most recognisable Cantonese dishes, sang choy bao is wonderfully delicious and doesn’t require much explanation. Eaten with your hands, these parcels are believed to have originated somewhere in the New Territories, where squab and quail are plentiful. To make the dish really shine, stir-fry the ingredients quickly in a very hot wok for that distinctive wok hei, the elusive wok fragrance that distinguishes Cantonese cooking.

12 iceberg lettuce leaves

250 g (9 oz) quail meat, finely diced

3–4 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in hot water until soft

4–5 water chestnuts, finely chopped

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 spring onion (scallion), white part only, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

3 cm (1¼ inch) piece ginger, finely chopped

1 lap cheong sausage, finely diced

50 g (1¾ oz) bamboo shoots, finely chopped

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

3 tablespoons chicken stock

1 teaspoon cornflour (cornstarch), mixed with 1 tablespoon water

MARINADE

2 teaspoons light soy sauce

1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine

Pinch of Chinese five-spice

½ teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon cornflour (cornstarch)

Carefully trim the lettuce leaves to form small cups, then soak in iced water briefly to crisp up. Drain and refrigerate.

Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl, add the quail and mix well, then set aside for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, drain the shiitake mushrooms, slice off the stems and squeeze excess water from the caps. Dice the mushrooms so they’re a similar size to the diced water chestnuts.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok over medium–high heat and stir-fry the quail and spring onion until just starting to brown. Remove from the wok and keep warm. Wipe out the wok with paper towel and add the remaining oil. When hot, add the garlic and ginger, stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add the mushrooms, water chestnuts, lap cheong and bamboo shoots. Continue to stir-fry for 30 seconds.

Add the oyster sauce and chicken stock. Return the quail and spring onion to the wok, stir-fry for a further minute, season to taste with salt and white pepper, then add the cornflour mixture and blend well. Serve on a warmed plate with the lettuce leaves to wrap the quail filling into parcels.