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Stir-Fried Youmai Lettuce with Oyster Sauce and Garlic — finished dish, ready to serve.

Garlic Youmai Lettuce (Oyster Sauce)

蒜蓉油麦菜（蚝油） · cantonese cuisine · Canton

7 min total2 min cooking5 stepssavorygarlicky

A quick Chinese home-style stir-fry. The key is high heat and fast hands: the lettuce only needs to wilt slightly and stay crisp. Only oyster sauce and light soy sauce are used for seasoning, since both are already salty. If the pan feels too dry, a splash of water can be added.

Priya Raman's profile photoPriya RamanSeattle home cook obsessed with South Indian food. I make dosa batter from scratch every Sunday and I'm slowly converting my whole neighborhood to cardamom chai. Ask me about tadka!

Nutrition & allergens

Contains:SoyWheat

Per serving (4 servings)

Energy (kcal)
11.8(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
Protein (g)
0.5(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
Fat (g)
0(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
Carbs (g)
2.5(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
Sodium (mg)
307.1(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)

Estimated from verified ingredient data for the original formula — not lab values, and one dish is not a full meal.

  • Garlic ingredient identification photo

    garlic大蒜

    4.0 clove — minced

  • Oyster sauce ingredient identification photo

    oyster sauce蚝油

    0.74 oz

  • Light soy sauce ingredient identification photo

    light soy sauce生抽

    to taste

Techniques you'll use

Steps

  1. 1

    Step 1

    Aromatic blooming (bao xiang) ↗Stir-frying ↗
    Stir-Fried Youmai Lettuce with Oyster Sauce and Garlic — step 1 visual checkpoint.

    Mince the garlic. Heat the wok until hot, add oil, and stir-fry the garlic until fragrant.

    ✅ Done when: The garlic is aromatic and just turning golden, without browning.

  2. 2

    Step 2

    High heatStir-frying ↗
    Stir-Fried Youmai Lettuce with Oyster Sauce and Garlic — step 2 visual checkpoint.

    Add the cut youmai lettuce stalk sections and stir-fry until they soften.

    ✅ Done when: The stalks have softened slightly but are still crisp, not fully cooked through.

  3. 3

    Step 3

    Stir-Fried Youmai Lettuce with Oyster Sauce and Garlic — step 3 visual checkpoint.

    Once the stalks are softened but not fully cooked, add the remaining lettuce leaves.

    ✅ Done when: The leaves are in the pan and beginning to wilt from contact with the heat.

  4. 4

    Step 4

    High heat
    Stir-Fried Youmai Lettuce with Oyster Sauce and Garlic — step 4 visual checkpoint.

    Add the oyster sauce and a small amount of light soy sauce. Both seasonings are already salty, so no other seasoning is needed; toss to coat evenly.

    ✅ Done when: The leaves are evenly coated with the sauce with no pooling at the bottom of the wok.

  5. 5

    Step 52 min

    High heatStir-frying ↗
    Stir-Fried Youmai Lettuce with Oyster Sauce and Garlic — step 5 visual checkpoint.

    Youmai lettuce cooks very quickly; the whole stir-fry takes about 2 minutes over high heat, so keep your hands moving. Toss well and serve immediately — the lettuce should stay crisp and snappy. Enjoy while hot.

    ✅ Done when: Total stir-fry time is about 2 minutes and the leaves are just wilted but still crisp and bright green.