Here’s to a healthy Lunar New Year
Celebrate with a lettuce wrap recipe that acknowledges health is wealth
VANCOUVER — When my son Jeff arrives at the Vancouver International Airport in Richmond from his home in North Carolina, the first thing he wants to eat is Chinese food. Jeff especially misses Lunar New Year, which ushered in the Year of the Rat on Jan. 25 and continues until February 8.
Noodles are eaten for long life; dumplings shaped like ancient Chinese money represent wealth and prosperity; spring rolls are said to look like gold bars; lettuce wraps play on the Chinese word for fortune, which is also the word for lettuce; and golden fruits like tangerines, oranges, and pomelos symbolize fullness and wealth.
Foods that are high in sugar and fat are typically served in celebration of the sweetness and richness of life, but the lettuce wrap recipe I’m sharing acknowledges that health is wealth with its low sugar content and accompanying low-sugar hoisin sauce. It’s from Half the Sugar, All the Love: 100 Easy Low-sugar Recipes for Every Meal of the Day by Jennifer Tyler Lee and Dr. Anisha Patel, a pediatrician on the medical faculty at Stanford University.
This family cookbook should be in every kitchen for easy-to-prepare, flavourful, low-sugar meals that kids will love — and love to help prepare, thanks to the authors’ smart tips. There’s even a recipe for newtella that has a fraction of the sugar in the store-bought chocolatehazelnut spread.
CHINESE CHICKEN LETTUCE CUPS
Based on a classic Chinese recipe, these lettuce wraps are fun for kids to eat because there are no forks required. If using iceberg lettuce, submerge the head in water before pulling the leaves apart to prevent tearing.
• 1 cup (250 ml) mediumgrain white or brown rice
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil
• 1 medium zucchini, trimmed and diced
• 1 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and diced
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced • 1/4 tsp (1 ml) salt • 1/4 tsp (1 ml) crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 lb (500 g) lean ground chicken or turkey
• 1/4 cup (50 ml) Chinese Hoisin Sauce (see recipe)
• 2 green onions, trimmed and minced
• 8 large butter or iceberg lettuce leaves
• Sriracha for serving (optional)
Cook rice according to package directions and set it aside, covered, off heat.
Heat 1 tbsp (15 ml) of oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat and add zucchini, bell pepper and half the garlic. Season with 1/8 tsp (.5 ml) salt and stir-fry until vegetables are crisp-tender. Transfer to a small bowl.
Add remaining oil and garlic to the pan with red pepper flakes and swirl to coat the pan. Add chicken and stirfry over high heat, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Add half the hoisin sauce and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
Reduce the heat to medium and add cooked vegetables, green onions and remaining hoisin sauce. Gently toss over medium heat to incorporate ingredients. Season with remaining 1/8 tsp (.5ml) of salt and remove from heat.
Place the rice, lettuce leaves and stir-fry on the table. Have everyone scoop rice and stirfry into lettuce cups, topping with a touch of sriracha if they like.
Serves 4
CHINESE HOISIN SAUCE
This version is less thick and cloying than typical hoisin sauce but still has a sweetsalty balance and the captivating flavour of Chinese five-spice powder (a mixture of cinnamon, fennel seeds, cloves, star anise and Szechuan peppercorns). In a pinch you can substitute unsweetened natural peanut butter for the miso paste.
• 1 cup (250 ml) low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
• 3 tbsp (45 ml) unseasoned rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) toasted (dark) sesame oil
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) minced garlic
• 4 tbsp (50 ml) sugar
• 1 tsp (5 ml) crushed red pepper flakes or chili oil
• 1/2 tsp (2 ml) freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup (50 ml) white miso paste
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) cornstarch Combine soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, sugar, red pepper flakes and fivespice powder in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and stir to melt the sugar. Reduce heat to low and stir in miso paste. Bring to a gentle simmer.
Place cornstarch in a small bowl, stir in 2 tbsp (30 ml) water. Stir this slurry into the sauce and simmer until slightly thickened, about 30 seconds. Let cool completely. Will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to a month. Makes 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) Kitchen Hack: Last-minute hoisin sauce
To make a quick substitute for hoisin sauce, mix 1/4 cup (50 ml) low-sodium soy sauce, 1 tbsp (15 ml) unseasoned rice vinegar, 2 tsp (10 ml) toasted (dark) sesame oil, 2 tsp (10 ml) peeled and minced fresh ginger, 1/4 tsp (1 ml) Chinese five-spice powder, 1/4 tsp (1 ml) crushed red pepper flakes and 1/8 tsp (0.5) ground black pepper.