Stir-fry Pork with Cucumber
I usually eat cucumbers raw or pickled. It is only recently (so slow!) that I discovered that cucumbers are great in stir-fries too. Just one minute of quick frying in the wok, the cucumbers tastes better (no more of that “tap water taste” some people complained of) while still retaining its fresh crunchy bite. This pork with cucumber stir-fry (煮肉片炒黄瓜) is a homely Chinese dish which goes very well with rice.
More Pork Stir-fry Recipes:
More Cucumber Recipes:
This dish also resembles stir-fry chayote, but with a much easier preparation for the cucumbers. I used the most fuss-free way of preparing the cucumbers: just slice and use. Even without “sweating” (by applying salt to force out the water) or de-seeding, the cucumber taste crunchy after cooking, so I didn’t bother with the extra steps.
Stir-fry Pork with Cucumber Recipe
The recommended cuts to use are shoulder butt (which is used in this recipe), pork belly or pork loin (腰肉).
Ingredients:
- 150g pork fillet sliced thinly against the grain
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1-2 chilli padi sliced thinly & partially de-seeded; to taste
- 1/2 Japanese cucumber halved lengthwise, then sliced thinly & diagonally
- 1 tbsp Chinese wine
(A) Marinade
- 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tbsp cornflour
- 4 dashes white pepper powder
Directions:
- Marinade pork with (A), for at least half an hour, or overnight in fridge.
- Heat oil in wok. Stir fry garlic & chilli briefly until aromatic.
- Add pork slices and stir fry until entirely cooked on surface (turns fully opaque).
- Add cucumber slices and Chinese wine. Stir fry on high heat for another minute and serve.