At the table
Share as a vegetable side with rice or other dishes; lift leaves with chopsticks.
Contains molluscs; soy sauce and other seasonings may contain soy and wheat. This version also uses cooking wine.
Vegetables do not make this oyster-sauce version vegetarian or vegan.
GET TO KNOW THE DISH
What goes into it?
Explore some key ingredients below. Preparations may use additional seasonings and ingredients.
Lettuce varieties and sauce mixtures vary. A mushroom-based sauce is a different preparation that must be confirmed.
Typical ingredients
Recipes vary by restaurant.
How does it taste?
Savory, lightly sweet and garlicky.
- Chili heat
- Texture
- Tender leaves with a little crunch in the ribs.
- How it’s made
- Briefly blanch lettuce, drain and dress with a cooked sauce of garlic, oyster sauce, soy sauce, cooking wine, sugar, oil, MSG and starch.
Lettuce varieties and sauce mixtures vary. A mushroom-based sauce is a different preparation that must be confirmed.
A CONNECTION TO PLACE
Origin & regional roots
Associated with Guangdong.
About this regional connection
Guangdong: Cantonese cooked lettuce side.
Ask if they have it first
请问你们有蚝油生菜吗？
Do you have this item?
A LITTLE SOMETHING TO READ
Story & history
A cooked lettuce side
This account describes a tradition or story, rather than an established historical fact.
Cantonese cooking often serves lettuce cooked rather than as a raw salad. Brief blanching keeps some crunch, while the sauce provides the main seasoning.
