CANTONESE HOME COOKING
Cantonese Blanched Lettuce with Garlic Soy Dressing
广式白灼生菜
Cantonese blanched lettuce, or bai zhuo sheng cai, pairs just-wilted leaves with a fragrant garlic and soy dressing. A small amount of black vinegar gives this quick Guangdong vegetable side a rounded flavor without a heavy sauce.
By Canto Hearth Editorial
Jump to ingredients & steps ↓
Let’s cook.
Prepare everything before blanching
Separate the lettuce leaves and rinse thoroughly. Drain. Mince the garlic and scallion whites and cut the pepper into fine strips. Mix soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and optional bouillon in a small bowl.
Warm the dressing
Put the minced aromatics, pepper and 1 tbsp oil in a small pan. Warm gently until fragrant without browning the garlic. Remove from the heat and stir in the prepared soy mixture.
Blanch the leaves briefly
Bring a large pot of water to a full boil and add the salt and 1 tsp oil. Add lettuce, working in batches if needed. After about 30 seconds, check for brighter leaves and slightly softened stems. Thick romaine ribs may need a little longer; keep them crisp rather than limp.
Drain and dress immediately
Lift out the lettuce, drain thoroughly and arrange on a platter. Pour the warm dressing over the leaves just before serving. Serve as a side with rice and soy sauce chicken or steamed pork patty.
Small details, better cooking.
- Cook the lettuce last so it reaches the table fresh and bright.
- Water trapped between leaves dilutes the dressing; drain well before plating.
- This version contains vinegar. Start with less if your soy sauce is particularly sharp or salty.
Working with what you have
Seasoned soy sauce for seafood
Use light soy sauce.
Check the label: seasoned sauces differ in sweetness and some contain seafood ingredients.
Chicken bouillon
Omit or use vegetable bouillon.
For a vegetarian dish also choose a soy sauce without seafood ingredients.
Need a unit conversion? Open kitchen tools. For ingredients, visit the pantry.
Questions from the kitchen
What does bai zhuo mean?
Bai zhuo refers to briefly cooking ingredients in boiling water. For lettuce, the aim is tender leaves with some crispness remaining.
Can I use iceberg lettuce?
Yes. Cut it into large pieces and blanch very briefly. Its thicker, watery leaves should be drained especially well.
Why add vinegar to the dressing?
A little vinegar balances the savory sauce. This particular version uses black vinegar; it is a flavor choice rather than a requirement for every Cantonese blanched vegetable.
Next on the table
01Steamed Pork Ribs with Black Beans
Small pork-rib pieces steamed with fermented black beans and garlic. Learn which beans to buy, how to arrange the dish and how to check doneness. Not yet kitchen-tested.
02Cantonese Ginger Scallion Chicken
Cantonese ginger scallion chicken combines tender poached chicken with a warm ginger, shallot and scallion dressing. This shredded version of jiang cong lao ji is easy to serve over rice, with the aromatic sauce tossed through just before eating.
03Cantonese Plum Sauce Duck Legs
Cantonese plum sauce duck legs simmer in a sweet-tart blend of plum sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce and ginger. Browning the skin first and reducing the braising liquid at the end creates a glossy sauce for this Guangdong-style duck dish.