Asian Cooking Class- Melbourne

Stir-fried Lettuce with Garlic (1 dollar dish)

As far as I can recall, imported vegetables such as iceberg lettuce, celery, broccoli were very expensive in where I grew up. They were mainly consumed during special occasions and my mum used to said: "this is special and for occasions only". When she visits me in Melbourne she always asks for iceberg lettuces, celery, broccoli for stir fry. I told her that I am happy indeed because they are good for health and widely available. 

Here how one dollar dish works in Melbourne. If you’ve already got oyster sauce and soy sauce in your pantry but if you don’t, it is worthwhile investing a few dollars for these basic ingredients for Asian dishes. You don’t need them much and they cost you peanuts every dish.  

An iceberg lettuce is $1 to $3 depending on season. I paid a dollar for a good size iceberg lettuce at Coles last week and I used half of it only. It took me about few minutes to prepare and less than five minutes to cook. The sweetness and crunchiness were great and natural.

Stir-Fried Iceberg Lettuce with Garlic

300 g (10½ oz) iceberg lettuce

1 tablespoon oil

1 big clove garlic, finely chopped 

Soy mixed (mix all in a small bowl):

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

½ tablespoon soy sauce

1/8 teaspoon sugar

Break the lettuce into pieces, wash and drain well.

Heat oil in a fry-pan or wok and fry the garlic over high heat until almost golden. Add the lettuce and soy mixed and stir fry for about 1½ to 2 minutes.

Preparation time:  5 minutes                                         
Cooking time: 4 minutes

Serve 2 - 4

I hope you will enjoy this simple dish. Happy Cooking!