San Choy Bau ... lettuce is used to wrap a spicy mixture of minced pork, ginger, lime, shallots, baby prawns, green beans
and red chillis. Photo: Australian Institute of Sport
By Liane Arno
IN THESE times when we look with concern at our Pacific neighbours and their ties to China, Matt and I found on a recent trip that we actually have a town in Australia that was founded by the Chinese.
Gum San (which translates as Gold Mountain) is the site of the Heritage Centre (which you must visit!) as well as the location where gold was first discovered in Ararat. It is a remarkable story of a ship full of 700 Chinese men (or Celestials as they were then known) in the 1850s who travelled from China to search for gold. En route to Victoria, where a xenophobic outrage responded to the growing number of Chinese immigrants, a tax of £10 was put on each. As this was payable by the captain, he decided to drop them off in Robe, South Australia, instead to avoid the tax. With poles balanced on their shoulders, carrying twin bags, it took them five weeks to complete the gruelling 500km trek to Ballarat.
IN THESE times when we look with concern at our Pacific neighbours and their ties to China, Matt and I found on a recent trip that we actually have a town in Australia that was founded by the Chinese.
Gum San (which translates as Gold Mountain) is the site of the Heritage Centre (which you must visit!) as well as the location where gold was first discovered in Ararat. It is a remarkable story of a ship full of 700 Chinese men (or Celestials as they were then known) in the 1850s who travelled from China to search for gold. En route to Victoria, where a xenophobic outrage responded to the growing number of Chinese immigrants, a tax of £10 was put on each. As this was payable by the captain, he decided to drop them off in Robe, South Australia, instead to avoid the tax. With poles balanced on their shoulders, carrying twin bags, it took them five weeks to complete the gruelling 500km trek to Ballarat.
After having endured starvation and prejudice where they were not allowed to set up camp in towns along the way, they stopped for a rest at what is now Ararat and, cleaning their dishes, found specks of gold in the creek.
I love a story where the oppressed fight back!
Of course it wasn’t the end of the xenophobia. Starting in 1901 and lasting until 1958, the country instituted a “White Australia” policy. A dictation test was introduced and to pass the test, the potential immigrant needed to write 50 words in any prescribed European language, as dictated by an immigration officer. That’s right – any language, and so a Chinese immigrant could be asked to write in French or Spanish or Italian.
Interestingly, historian Barbara Nichol, who specialises in the history of Chinese food culture in Australia, found that exceptions to the rules were granted for chefs. She found that already in the late 1800s a third of all cooks in Australia were Chinese.
All of that led me to wanting to cook some Chinese food. Trying to lose a bit of weight which remains after Covid – I thought what better way than eating lettuce.
Sang Choi means lettuce in Chinese. And lettuce is used in San Choy Bau as a vessel to wrap a spicy mixture of minced pork, ginger, lime, shallots, baby prawns, green beans and red chillis.
Like many of these dishes there are lots of varieties. We made a vegetarian one recently using rehydrated mushrooms (a little scary, if you get my drift!) and water chestnuts – but this meat version is one we just experimented with – and loved.
San Choy Bau
Prepare some syrup by combining the following in a pot and boiling until you have halved the mix and then set aside.
In a separate pan fry the following for a few minutes until brown
Add the following and fry for a few minutes:
I love a story where the oppressed fight back!
Of course it wasn’t the end of the xenophobia. Starting in 1901 and lasting until 1958, the country instituted a “White Australia” policy. A dictation test was introduced and to pass the test, the potential immigrant needed to write 50 words in any prescribed European language, as dictated by an immigration officer. That’s right – any language, and so a Chinese immigrant could be asked to write in French or Spanish or Italian.
Interestingly, historian Barbara Nichol, who specialises in the history of Chinese food culture in Australia, found that exceptions to the rules were granted for chefs. She found that already in the late 1800s a third of all cooks in Australia were Chinese.
All of that led me to wanting to cook some Chinese food. Trying to lose a bit of weight which remains after Covid – I thought what better way than eating lettuce.
Sang Choi means lettuce in Chinese. And lettuce is used in San Choy Bau as a vessel to wrap a spicy mixture of minced pork, ginger, lime, shallots, baby prawns, green beans and red chillis.
Like many of these dishes there are lots of varieties. We made a vegetarian one recently using rehydrated mushrooms (a little scary, if you get my drift!) and water chestnuts – but this meat version is one we just experimented with – and loved.
San Choy Bau
Prepare some syrup by combining the following in a pot and boiling until you have halved the mix and then set aside.
- 300g palm sugar, grated
- 300ml water
- 1 quill of cassia bark (or cinnamon)
- 2 strips of lime peel
In a separate pan fry the following for a few minutes until brown
- 2tbsp sesame oil
- 400g minced pork
Add the following and fry for a few minutes:
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 20g fresh ginger finely chopped
- 4 shallots finely chopped
Fox and Matt slice the beans. Photo by Fox’s mum, Amy Wallace Add the following and simmer until the liquid is gone and the pork is caramelised.
Serve by heaping big spoonfuls into cos lettuce leaves, fold over the leaves so you form a parcel and eat with your hands
- 120ml Shaohsing rice cooking wine
- 100g green beans chopped into 2cm lengths (or smaller if you, like Fox, enjoy using our vintage bean slicer)
- 1 red birds eye chilli thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon roasted belachan shrimp paste
- 200g can of baby prawns
- 3tbsp Chinese black vinegar (or 2tbsp of vinegar with 1tbsp of soy sauce)
- 40ml lime juice
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch of freshly ground white pepper (do use this rather than black pepper if you can)
- Syrup made earlier
Serve by heaping big spoonfuls into cos lettuce leaves, fold over the leaves so you form a parcel and eat with your hands