Spiced vegan larb lettuce cups

20 MINUTES | SERVES 4 | EASY

A Chinese-Laotian spiced vegetable stir-fry.

rapeseed oil 1 tbsp soy mince 200g (see cook’s notes) kaffir lime leaf 1 fresh, very finely sliced into strips, or 1 lime, zested tamari or light soy sauce 1 tbsp ground white pepper a pinch dried chilli flakes a pinch lime ½, juiced

SPICE MIXTURE szechuan peppercorns 1 tsp star anise ½ tsp jasmine rice 1 tsp (uncooked) ground cumin 1 tsp ground cloves ¼ tsp vegetable bouillon powder 1 tsp dried chilli flakes 1 tsp

TO SERVE cucumber 1 small, shredded hoisin sauce 4 tbsp

Little Gems 2-3, leaves separated carrot 1 small, shredded chives ½ a small bunch, snipped into pieces

• Toast all the ingredients for the spice mixture in a dry wok until fragrant, then use a pestle and mortar or spice grinder to grind to a powder. This will make more spice mixture than you need, but will keep in an airtight container for a few weeks.

• Heat a wok over a high heat until hot, add the rapeseed oil and give it a swirl. Add 1 tsp of the spice mixture and toast for a few seconds, then add the soy mince and stir-fry until dry, crisp and golden. Toss in the kaffir lime strips and season with the tamari, white pepper, chilli flakes and lime juice.

• To assemble, dip a few cucumber slices in some hoisin sauce and put in a lettuce leaf. Top with a couple of carrot strips, then some mince and chives, and serve. You can assemble the individual cups, or I like to let guests do it themselves.

PER SERVING 152 KCALS | FAT 6.4G SATURATES 0.9G | CARBS 10.6G | SUGARS 7.1G FIBRE 4.8G | PROTEIN 10.7G | SALT 1.8G