You may be thinking, cooked romaine? Yes! Trust me, or more trust my mom, who I think is the most fabulous self-taught chef ever. I was a little skeptical when she told me about this dish, but she told me that she makes it all the time. It’s an easy and unique recipe, definitely a keeper, especially if you’re looking for some interesting vegetarian recipes. You can make the sauce ahead of time too.
Blanched Romaine with Garlicky Oyster Sauce
~4 to 5 side dish servings
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons vegetarian oyster sauce
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon water
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 large or 2 small heads of romaine
- 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
Instructions –
1. In a small bowl, stir together garlic, vegetarian oyster sauce, soy sauce, water, sugar, and white vinegar. Set aside.
2. Separate romaine leaves and reserve the very inside for another use (those leaves will turn brown when blanched).
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drop in oil. Blanch leaves for just a few moments. You want them to remain crispy. Drain and set aside on a plate for 5 minutes. Drain again.
4. Pour dressing on top and serve.
I agree – Romaine lettuce is wonderful cooked! I also like it in soups – a clear chicken broth (or just from a stock cube) with Romaine lettuce in it. Lovely!
yum – so delicious!
Yeah! Cooked romaine is quite, quite good.
I’ve never thought of cooking romaine–this is a perfect new side dish for me to try! Thanks!
I used just the sauce, and replaced lettuce with choi of some sort (not sure what kind because it came in a weekly local organic veggie box and was labeled as just “choi”). The sauce is simply awesome, thank you! 🙂
It’s also delicious with iceberg lettuce!… That’s what my mom used.