Until the age of 6, I had never eaten raw unpickled cucumbers. Like everyone else in my Cantonese family, I ate cucumbers only in stir-fries, never imagining that they could be served any other way. So it was a shock in the elementary school cafeteria to find that Americans eat this thing called a salad, with itty bitty pieces of raw unseasoned cucumber, mixed with equally bland raw carrots and iceberg lettuce. I’ll admit. It took me a few years to get used to raw cucumbers, especially when the accompaniment was Thousand Island dressing.
Lately I’ve rediscovered the joys of stir-fried cucumbers. They’re sauce sponges, soaking up the best flavors of whatever meat or liquid they’re cooked with. The best kind to use for stir-frying are Chinese cucumbers, also called Asian or Peking cucumbers, the long skinny ones with a bumpy outside. They tend to be more crisp, though other varieties would also work.
In this pork stir-fry, you just need to cook the meat, set it aside, and briefly stir-fry and steam the vegetables for a few minutes. If you have extra pieces left over, make a Sichuan cucumber salad.
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Other Chinese pork recipes:
Red-Cooked Pork (Hongshao rou)
Twice-Cooked Pork (Huiguo rou)
Dan Dan Mian (Spicy Sichuan Noodles)
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Pork and Cucumber Stir-fry
Serves 4 as part of a multi-course meal
1 cucumber
4 to 5 fresh shiitake mushrooms
1/2 red onion
1/2 pound lean pork
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon rice wine
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste
Slice cucumber into 2-inch long segments, then quarter the segments length-wise. Thinly slice shiitake mushrooms and red onion. Thinly slice the pork.
Heat oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Stir-fry pork until cooked and no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Remove from wok and set aside.
Stir-fry garlic and ginger until aromatic, about 1 minute. Add cucumbers, shiitake mushrooms, and onions and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in rice wine, soy sauce, and sugar. Add water, cover the wok with a lid, and let the vegetables steam for 3 to 4 more minutes. Adjust flavor with salt and pepper.
Once the liquid has been reduced to sauce-like consistency, uncover the wok and return pork to the wok. Cook for another 30 seconds, then serve.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
I also used to eat cucumbers in stir-fries all the time. And I couldn’t get used to garden salads at all. You just reminded me of a good vegetable to cook with my chicken tonight!
Hmm never tried Chinese cucumbers before. Have tried different melons in soups though.
someone told me about this website on qq. i dont have time to check it out right now, but from the pictures i can tell it looks awesome and i cant wait to try one of these recipes. seeing this dish really brings up some memories. good work :)
I’m just the reverse. I’ve always eaten cucumbers raw. Didn’t know until I had two teenage daughters they could be used in stir fries.
Haha… I never liked cucumbers, all watery and tasteless like that. Then I realized it was because it was always presented in raw form (blech). But, I love it cooked!
Try them French Fried. Peal first. Remove seeds.
Cut into 1/4 inch thick, 2 inch long pieces.
Dip in egg, cover with flour of rice flour.
Cook in hot oil as like potatoes.
Make a sauce with Mayoand salad mustard and dip them.
Good eatin’.
good with any meat.
B
I’ve definitely never included cucumber in a stir fry recipe! How interesting. Def want to try this. Think pork tenderloin would work well in this dish?
Vicky – Yup, pork tenderloin would work wonderfully. Hope you enjoy the dish!
Thanks for the quick response! I will let you know how it turns out for me!