San Choy Bao originates from China, however there are plenty of adaptations to choose from that are keto friendly. Usually there would be some sort of sweetener to help ‘balance’ the flavours. I’m sure once you try this recipe you’ll agree it doesn’t need any. I used whole water chestnuts in the version that has been photographed. In retrospect this was a mistake and they really need to be chopped up a bit, or you end up with a mouth full of water chestnut and not much else. I also added in bean shoots and coriander leaves to a later version and loved the fresh crunch. Be generous with the lime juice and brave with the chilli, and be warned, it’s addictive once you start!

Ingredients

400g chicken fillet, minced
1 cup sliced water chestnuts, drained and roughly chopped
1 tbsp ginger, grated
1 tsp chilli powder (more if you like it hot)
1 tsp garlic, crushed
1 tbsp Tamari
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 spring onions, sliced
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp Chinese five spice
1/2 bunch fresh coriander, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Juice of 1 large lime and extra lime segments to serve
Fresh bean sprouts to garnish, rinse well and drain before use
Fresh red chilli, sliced, to garnish
Iceberg lettuce leaves, cut carefully into cups

Method

Cut a large fresh iceberg lettuce in half. Soak lettuce half in ice cold water. Remove from the water, drain and carefully separate lettuce leaves into cups. You may have to trim them a little to get the right shape.

Sauté ginger and garlic lightly, then add ground coriander, chilli powder and Chinese five spice to release the aroma.

Add chicken mince and brown, then add water chestnuts, tamari, spring onions, fish sauce, fresh coriander and season to taste with black pepper and sea salt (if needed).

Carefully spoon filling into lettuce cups, top with bean shoots and garnish with extra fresh coriander and add a squeeze of fresh lime juice to each cup.

Bon Appetite!