Lettuce with fried dace and black bean is one of my favourite Chinese vegetable dishes to eat in a local Hong Kong restaurant. It is basically lettuce stir-fried with canned preserved dace fish and fermented black beans.
In Cantonese, black beans are called dau see (豆豉) and dace fish is leng yu (鯪魚). The dace is preserved in vegetable oil and has a chewy texture with soft, edible bones inside, and it goes really well with the savoury smoky fermented black beans.
This dish typically uses a type of Chinese lettuce called yau mak choi (油麥菜), and I learnt that it is part of the romaine lettuce family. But I couldn’t find this exact vegetable in my local Asian supermarket, so I just used regular romaine lettuce.
My favourite way of eating this canned dace and black bean is definitely stir-fried with green vegetables. But it can also be enjoyed with noodles or plain white rice.
ingredients for making lettuce with fried dace and black bean:
- 1 fish from canned fried dace with salted black bean
- 3 tbsp black bean from canned fried dace with salted black bean
- 150g romaine lettuce
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp sugar
where to find fried dace with black bean?
- You can find these in your local Asian supermarket. The brand you’ll most commonly see is Pearl River Bridge. Or, you can get this one from Amazon.
what veg to use?
- Any veg you fancy! I’d recommend leafy green vegetables like cabbage, spinach or pak choi. But you can really use anything that you want to add more flavour to.
steps:
- Prepare the romaine lettuce by slicing them in half. Wash and drain the lettuce.
- Take 2-3 tablespoons of black bean and 1 fish out from the can. Chop the fish into smaller pieces. Remove the bones if you do not prefer to eat it.
- Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil (taken from the can) in a wok/ frying pan and saute the minced garlic until aromatic.
- Add the lettuce and cook for 1-2 minutes until they wilt.
- Add the black beans and dace. Mix and combine it well with the lettuce. Add a pinch of sugar to balance out the saltiness.
- Combine everything well, then serve on a plate.
more delicious side dish recipes:
Lettuce with Fried Dace and Black Bean (豆豉鯪魚炒生菜)
2
servings10
minutes10
minutesStir-fried lettuce with fried dace and black bean is a Cantonese vegetable dish. It’s savoury, smoky and fragrant.
Keep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
1 fish from canned fried dace with salted black bean
3 tbsp black bean from canned fried dace with salted black bean
150g romaine lettuce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp sugar
Directions
- Prepare the romaine lettuce by slicing them in half. Wash and drain the lettuce.
- Take 2-3 tablespoons of black bean and 1 fish out from the can. Chop the fish into smaller pieces. Remove the bones if you do not prefer to eat it.
- Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil (taken from the can) in a wok/ frying pan and saute the minced garlic until aromatic.
- Add the lettuce and cook for 1-2 minutes until they wilt.
- Add the black beans and dace. Mix and combine it well with the lettuce. Add a pinch of sugar to balance out the saltiness.
- Combine everything well, then serve on a plate.
*This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I can earn from qualifying purchases. However, there is no additional cost to you. When you make a purchase through my referral links, I may earn a small commission from Amazon and other retailers.
){kind=link}