Petits pois à la Chinoise (Braised lettuce and peas with speck and prawn)

This dish draws inspiration from the French classic Petits Pois à la Francaise, a dish of braised lettuce and peas cooked with bacon or speck. Adam Liaw gives it a unique twist that includes Chinese flavours, featuring prawns, concentrated chicken stock and Shaoxing wine, creating a fascinating fusion that reimagines this French staple.

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  5 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Stream free On Demand

Pan Fried Perfection

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G

Ingredients

• ¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
• 60 g speck, sliced
• 1 small brown onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 cup frozen baby peas
• 200 g prawns, peeled, deveined, butterflied
• 1 tbsp concentrated chicken stock
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• ½ tsp sugar
• 1 head baby cos, leaves separated
• 1 tsp potato starch mixed with ¼ cup cold water

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large wok or frying pan over medium heat. Add the speck and stir-fry until golden. Add the onion and garlic and stir-fry for a further minute, or until the onion just begins to colour. Stir through the frozen peas with a generous splash of water.
   
2. Cook for 1 minute, then add the prawns, concentrated chicken stock, Shaoxing wine and sugar to the pan. Toss for 1-2 minutes, or until the prawns are almost cooked through, then toss through the lettuce, stir-frying until the leaves are wilted.
   
3. Taste the petits pois à la Chinoise and add more chicken stock or sugar to your liking. Whisk the potato starch slurry well to combine, then pour into the simmering liquid in the pan to thicken to a silky sauce. Remove from the heat, transfer the petits pois à la Chinoise to a large serving plate and serve.
   

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Stream free On Demand

Pan Fried Perfection

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G