Minced Squab with Lettuce Cups
Submitted by eveangel
Minced squab in lettuce cups, the Cantonese classic: chopped squab stir-fried with water chestnuts, bamboo, and mushrooms in a savory oyster-soy sauce, finished with crisped skin and wrapped in crisp lettuce.
YIELD
2 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
30 minREADY
1 hrsA refined Cantonese classic in the style of san choy bow, this dish turns squab into a savory, textured mince that diners wrap in cool, crisp lettuce cups at the table. It makes thrifty use of the whole bird: the meat is hand-minced, the carcass is reduced into a concentrated broth for the sauce, and the skin is rendered and crisped for a crunchy garnish.
The filling is all about contrast. The tender minced squab is stir-fried with garlic and a confetti of water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, Chinese mushrooms, and scallions, bound in a glossy sauce of soy, rice wine, oyster sauce, and a little sugar.
Folded with the crisp skin at the end and spooned into lettuce leaves, every bite is a play of textures: soft and crunchy, warm savory mince against cool, snapping lettuce. Much of the prep can be done hours ahead.
Pro Tips
- Reduce the squab bones, wings, and feet into a concentrated broth; it gives the sauce real depth and wastes nothing.
- Crisp the rendered skin separately and fold it in at the very end so it stays crunchy.
- Mince the water chestnuts and vegetables fine but distinct, for the crunch that defines the dish.
- Do the boning, mincing, and skin-crisping up to 8 hours ahead to make serving quick.
Variations
- Use boneless chicken or duck in place of squab for an easier version.
- Serve with hoisin or extra oyster sauce for dipping.
- Add minced dried shrimp or a dash of sesame oil for more savory depth.
Ingredients
Directions
USING A THIN CLEAVER, cut away the wings and thigh joints and pull off the skin, cutting it where necessary.
Set the skin aside. Bone the breasts.
Scrape all the meat you can from the bone.
Neatness does not count! To remove the leg meat, make a slit the length of the leg to the bone.
Pull the meat away, cutting it off the bone where necessary.
Remove the small but tough tendon from each leg.
Bone the second squab, then add the bones, feet, heads and wings to 1 cup chicken broth and reduce the liquid to ½ cup.
With 2 cleavers, start chopping the meat, until finely minced.
Set aside.
Thinly slice the squab skin. Stir-fry the skin in a little oil to render the fat and crisp the skin.
This takes about 10 minutes.
As the skin browns, move it up the side of the wok.
Set the crisped skin aside.
The preceding steps can be done up to 8 hours in advance.
Keep the minced squab refrigerated if it must stand longer than 1 hour.
Stir-fry the squab in the oil with the garlic over high heat until is is browned lightly.
Add the remaining minced ingredients, mix them well and add the reduced chicken broth, sugar, soy sauce, rice wine or sherry and oyster sauce.
Bring the mixture to a boil and stir in the cornstarch dissolved in broth.
Stir in the crisped skin and transfer the mixture to a serving plate.
Serve the dish surrounded by lettuce cups.
Each diner wraps some of the squab mixture in a lettuce cup.
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