Sassy Mama Cooks! Lettuce wraps with Spanish sausage, pine nuts and Chinese mushrooms

Welcome to the second dish of the Sassy Mama Cooks! Spanish / Asian challenge… if you missed the last post, we were making wontons with a twist! This time, I’m using Iberico Fuet, available from Meat The Butcher in Bukit Timah or Four Seasons Gourmet Market in Marina Bay (although I picked up mine from my friends at Pata Negra House in Hong Kong). Fuet is a traditional Spanish air-dried sausage with a flavour that is surprisingly mild and similar to Laap Cheung, or Chinese air-dried sausage – although the Chinese version is smaller, slightly sweeter and harder. This Fuet is Montesano Extremadura, which refers to the brand and region of Spain.

I was very happily surprised by the flavour, expecting it to be spicy like chorizo, but the only thing in common is their Spanish origin. This Fuet has now raced to the top of my favourite air-dried sausage list!

You can substitute the minced pork in this dish for minced duck or chicken. Throw in some chillis and fish sauce and you have a Thai Larb. There are so many delightful textures here, with the soft chewiness of the mushrooms, the crisp freshness of the lettuce and the crunchiness of the pine nuts.

And if you didn’t already guessed, this is eating-with-your-hands food, napkins-under-your-chin, sauce-dripping deliciousness, and definitely one the kids will love! For something heartier, this is good spooned over noodles or rice, and perfect for entertaining…

Lettuce wraps with Iberico fuet, pine nuts & Chinese mushrooms

(Makes at least 8)

• 8 lettuce leaves (but not bland iceberg!), carefully washed and dried – Little Gem lettuce would be perfect here
• 400 grams of minced pork or chicken
• 10-12 very thin slices of Iberico fuet, finely chopped
• 6 dried Chinese Shitake mushrooms, soaked and finely chopped
• ½ – ¾ cup of pine nuts
• 1 clove of minced garlic
• 1 shallot, finely sliced
• 1 tablespoon of light soya sauce
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon of minced ginger

1. 1 hour before, soak the mushrooms in hot water. In a separate bowl, mix the minced pork with the soya sauce, sugar, sesame oil and ginger, then marinate for an hour or so to let the flavours develop.

2. Heat up your wok with a little oil. Add the garlic and shallots. Fry gently on a low heat for around for a minute, then add the Chinese mushrooms. Fry for another few minutes.

3. Turn the flame a little higher to medium then add the pine nuts. Fry for 1-2 minutes, mixing well and stirring constantly.

4. Add the minced meat and mix well. Stir-fry quickly for 2-3 minutes until the meat is thoroughly cooked through. Add the fuet, and keep stir-frying for another 2 minutes.

5. Serve in the lettuce leaves… and provide lots of tissues!

A true blue Hong Kong girl, born and raised here to British and Chinese parents, Sharon works as an English teacher in a local school. In her free time, Sharon can be found eating, or with her head in a recipe book. While she enjoys cooking, she has very little patience for long, complicated recipes and has made laziness her virtue by adapting most recipes to 30 minutes or less. When not thinking about, or making food, Sharon spends her time on her island (Cheung Chau), usually at the beach. With a large cocktail in her hand. Follow Sharon on her blog Jasmine and Ginger or on Twitter @jasmine_ginger.