Five-spice squab in lettuce leaves

Last Updated on November 14, 2020 by Simon Fan

When the leaves fall and temperature drops, we think of game. In many cuisines, game meat is traditionally associated with dishes in the fall and winter, the hunting season. 

Of course, nowadays people are more likely to shoot a photo with a smartphone than shooting a game animal with a gun. Besides, in the US, the game meats available in the market are actually raised on farms or ranches. Nevertheless, the tradition of cooking game meats to bring their rich and “wild” flavors to the cold weather has endured.

Game has always been highly prized in Chinese cuisine. Many cookbooks and restaurant menus devote an entire section for game meats. Small game birds, such as squabs and quails, show up often on the roster of game recipes. Take squabs as an example, they’re frequently roasted, deep-fried, steamed, braised, and cooked in various soups.

When cooking with game, Chinese chefs often use five-spice powder to bring out the best flavors of the meat and at the same time tame the gaminess of the animal. Game and Chinese five-spice powder are a magical pairing.

Like other famous spice blends in the world, such as quatre épices of France, garam masala of India, or ras el hanout of Morocco, Chinese five-spice powder has many variations, and there’s no definitive combination of spices that make up the mix. The most frequently used spices include star anise, cassia bark (Chinese cinnamon), cloves, fennel seeds, and Sichuan peppercorns. As always, a freshly ground spice mix is much better than the ready-made ones you can get from stores. If you’re interested in grinding your own five-spice powder, here’s a mix for you to try (scale it down if making a smaller batch):

• 10 g Sichuan peppercorns
• 10 g star anise, broken into small pieces
• 5 g fennel seeds
• 5 g cassia bark, broken into small pieces.
• 4 g cloves

The dish I’m introducing here is inspired by one of the most famous Chinese squab dishes: minced squab in lettuce cups (生菜鸽松). In my version, I cut the breast meat into small dice instead of mincing the meat, and flavor them with the five-spice powder. A quick stir-frying is all you need to bring out the flavors of the aromatic squab meat, the crunchy water chestnuts, the sweet carrots, and the fragrant pine nuts. Wrap them in a crisp lettuce leaf and you get a parcel full of enticing flavors and textures. This dish is great as an appetizer or a light main. 

A note on water chestnuts: while you can use canned water chestnuts, fresh ones have much superior flavor and texture and therefore are worth hunting for.

Five-spice squab in lettuce leaves

Serves 2

Ingredients

Marinade
¼ teaspoon five-spice powder
¼ teaspoon grated ginger
¼ teaspoon potato starch or cornstarch
½ teaspoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon Shaoxing wine

Bonelsss, skinless breast meat from 1 squab (about 8 oz/230 g), cut into ⅓-inch (8 mm) dice
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
3 oz (85 g) carrots, cut into ⅓-inch (8 mm) dice
3 oz (85 g) peeled water chestnuts, cut into ⅓-inch (8 mm) dice
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
6 small lettuce leaves, plus more as needed

Directions

1. In a bowl, mix the ingredients for the marinade. Add the squab meat and mix to coat. Let marinate for 15 minutes.
2. Place a wok or skillet over medium-high heat until hot, then swirl in the oil. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the carrots and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the squab meat, and continue to stir-fry until the meat is just cooked through, about 1 minute. Next, add the water chestnuts, and stir and toss for 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and mix in the pine nuts. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Serve the squab mixture with the lettuce leaves as wrappers.