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 Pata Negra House. 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. A sausage costs $88, which is on a par with most of the air-dried sausages available in CitySuper.

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. At the Pigeon Restaurant in Lamma, they do this dish with minced pigeon, which is just amazing. 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 guess, 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!