Kung Pao–Style Pork Sausage Lettuce Cups

Porky Whites Surrey Sausages are broken down into mince and cooked with fragrant garlic, ginger, soy, a dash of honey, and crunchy peanuts for a sweet, spicy, slightly naughty Kung Pao-style filling. This one ticks all the flavour and texture boxes. Served in crisp lettuce cups for a fresh, punchy, lighter recipe that’s full of flavour and great for sharing. This recipe also showcases the versatility of the sausage beyond the usual dishes. Sticky, savoury and lightly sweet, these Chinese-inspired lettuce cups are made with Porky Whites Surrey Sausages spiked with a hit of five spice seasoning and crunchy peanuts, all spooned into crisp, ice-cold lettuce leaves. This is perfect for sharing and an easy, speedy dinner.

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Ingredients

little gem lettuce 4 (leaves picked)
Porky Whites Surrey pork sausages 800 g
ginger 15 g (grated)
garlic cloves 4 (grated)
Chinese 5 spice 2 tsp
soy sauce 2 tbsp
honey 4 tbsp
salted peanuts 4 tbsp (chopped)
spring onions 4 (chopped)
red pepper 2 tbsp (sliced)
red chillies 1 (chopped)
sesame seeds 1 tbsp (toasted)

Method

Prep the little gem lettuce

Trim the base from each little gem lettuce and carefully separate the leaves. Place them into a bowl of ice-cold water to wash and crisp up while you prepare the filling.

Brown the sausage meat

Heat a dash of oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Remove the skins from the Porky Whites Surrey Sausages and add the sausage meat to the pan.
Fry, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until well browned and finely textured.

Add the aromatics & spice

Peel and grate the ginger and garlic. Add the grated ginger and garlic to the pan and cook for 1–2 minutes until fragrant. Stir in the Chinese 5 spice and cook briefly to toast the spices.

Create the sticky glaze

Once the sausage mixture is golden and cooked through, add the soy sauce and honey. Stir well so that everything is evenly coated and glossy.

Finish the dish

Turn off the heat and stir through the chopped peanuts. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Drain the little gem lettuce well and spin or pat dry so they’re crisp and ready to fill.

Plate Up

Chop the spring onions, red pepper and optional red chilli.
Arrange the little gem lettuce on a platter. Spoon the warm Kung Pao-style sausage into each leaf.
Finish with spring onions, red chilli (if using), red pepper, extra peanuts and sesame seeds. Serve 3–4 lettuce cups per person as a main meal, letting everyone build their own at the table.

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