Lettuce (Cos/Romaine) recipes

San choy bow is one of those dishes where the lettuce is absolutely load-bearing — it is the bowl, the crunch and the freshness all at once. The filling is a deeply savoury stir-fry of minced pork, water chestnuts and shiitake mushrooms seasoned with oyster sauce and a little sesame oil, then scooped straight into crisp cos cups at the table.

The real thing — crisp cos lettuce in a punchy, creamy anchovy and Parmesan dressing with golden croutons fried in butter. This is the salad that made cos famous, and when you grow your own, you understand exactly why. Make it with leaves that were in the ground this morning and it is genuinely a different dish.

Crisp cos leaves make the perfect vessel for a fragrant, punchy filling of minced chicken with lemongrass, fish sauce, lime and chilli. This is fast, light and genuinely exciting to eat — the contrast of warm, herby filling against cold, crunchy lettuce is one of those combinations that never gets old. Great for a quick weeknight dinner or to share as a starter.

This is the kind of salad that actually earns its place as a main course. Slabs of salty, golden halloumi sit on a generous base of crisp cos leaves with juicy watermelon, fresh mint and a sharp lime dressing. The contrast of hot cheese, cold fruit and crunchy lettuce is genuinely brilliant.