stir-fried cucumber
1 min readIf you have never eaten cooked cucumber before, the idea of eating it hot might seem strange.
Yet the extraordinary thing about stir-fried cucumber is that it readily absorbs flavours and re-tains a waat (silky and slippery) texture that provides a very satisfying bite.
Serves 2 cucumbers 12 tsp salt 2 tsp vegetable oil 2 tsp finely diced ginger 2 cloves garlic, finely diced 12 tsp granulated sugar 14 tsp dried chilli flakes 14 tsp sesame oil 1 Cut the cucumbers in half lengthways, then use a spoon to scrape out the seeds. Cut each half into four strips lengthways, then divide each of these strips into batons, about 4cm long.
2 Mix the cucumber and salt together in large bowl, then set aside for 10 minutes. Rinse the cucum-ber batons thoroughly, shaking off any excess water and pat dry with kitchen paper.
3 Heat the vegetable oil in a wok over a high heat and stir-fry the ginger and garlic until fragrant, then chill add the cucumber. Stir-fry for 1 minute then stir in the sugar and chilli flakes. Spread the cucum-ber out in a single layer on the base of the wok, and leave them to singe for 30 seconds. Stir-fry fora few seconds then spread the cucumber out again and leave to singe again for 30 seconds. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon water over the cucumber then stir-fry for another minute. Remove from the heat, stir in the sesame oil, then serve.
