Make this easy Chinese Stir Fry Lettuce with Fermented Beancurd (Yau Mak). A simple, delicious side dish with garlic, chili, and umami-rich tofu paste—ready in under 10 minutes!
First wash the lettuce by rinsing the lettuce leaves in cool running water. Wash a few leaves at a time. Then drain to remove excess water in a colander.
Then thinly sliced peeled garlic, soak goji berries and drained and cut seeded red chilli into long stripes. Set aside for later use.
Lastly, add seasonings into fermented beancurd and crush to mix into a paste for easier use.
Stir Fry Lettuce With Fermented Beancurd:
First heat up oil. Saute sliced garlic till fragrant. Then add in red chilli strips and fermented beancurd paste. Stir to mix well.
Add in the lettuce and stir fry on high heat till just cooked and the fermented beancurd paste is evenly mixed into the lettuce leaves. The whole process of cooking takes only about 3 minutes. Next add in the soaked goji berries and stir to mix well. And we are done!
Use fresh garlic to stir fry the Chinese lettuce. Fresh garlic will give the dish a more fragrant flavour. Make sure the garlic do not over brown when sautéing.
Use a neutral oil (grapeseed or sunflower seed oil) to sauté the garlic and red chilli.
Use high heat to stir fry the Chinese lettuce quickly to ensure the lettuce stay crisps after cooking. So be sure the wok is really hot when cooking.
Do not over stir fry the lettuce. The whole process of cooking takes only about2 to 3 minutes. The leaves should turn bright green when just cooked. If over cook, it will lose its crunchiness and bright green colour and plum appearance.