food recipes

Overcoming iceberg lettuce tragedy-1 (Dinner 3 Sep)

Taiwanese fried vermicelli, fried chicken
and miso soup with potato and enoki mushroom

Taiwanese Fried Rice Vermicelli was introduced before. 
This time, I used Iceberg lettuce instead for cabbage. 
Got a very nice, big, seasonal one from Waitrose in 1 pound.
Unlike other lettuces (round, curly, romaine, little gem), iceberg lettuce features its crispy and fleshy leaf. 

Tragedy of iceberg lettuce

However, I think it is shared experience such as when adding iceberg lettuce into salad too much against other ingredients, then the entire dish becomes watery. In stuffing sandwich, round or curly lettuces are better. If not seasonal, iceberg lettuce is just hard, watery and cold like iceberg. As it can last longer than other lettuces, can be found easily in Tesco Express or Sainsbury Local. It means iceberg lettuce is only one available leaf veggie when other shops are closed. As being voluminous when it is served, usually it is hard to use up at once, therefore occupies veggie space in the fridge forever.

To rescue poor iceberg lettuce...boiling is a good solution.

By cooking, the moisture is removed from the flesh then iceberg lettuce attains beautiful crunchy texture. Besides, when it is cooked, it enhances the flavour that is often hidden when it is cold and watery.

Therefore, I often add it into soup, fried rice, and noodles.

Ingredients

Iceberg lettuce 4-5 leaves (cut into small bite sized), 2 shrimps, 4 slices of pork belly, 2 spring onion (sliced), rice vermicelli (100g boiled in water for 1 min)
<Seasoning> 

1 tablespoon of soy sauce

1 tablespoon of mirin

1 tablespoon of sesame oil

1 teaspoon of oyster sauce

200cc of clod water

1 tablespoon of Taiwanese rice sake (if available)

1/2 teaspoon of Thai fish sauce

Directions

1. Fry meat, fish and veggies roughly for 2-3 mins in a large frying pan with vegetable oil (2 tablespoons)

2. add vermicelli and lettuce. Pour the seasoning and close the pan with a lid. Keep heating for 3-4 mins

3. Open the lid and stir-fry all the contents until the sauce disappears to serve.

Besides with vermicelli, I made a fried chicken. 

1. Soak chicken thighs with salt, black pepper and sake for 5-6 mins. 
2. Dust them with cornflour and deepfry them in a 1cm depth of vegetable oil in a small pan at medium temperature.

Total time to prepare: 40 mins
Total cost: 3.4 pounds (2 for chicken thigh, 0.4 for vermicelli, 1 for veggies)

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