China · Home-style
Stir-Fried Pork with Cucumber
Salting cucumber first draws off the water so it stays crisp, then it is stir-fried with pork, garlic and a little fresh chilli.
Salting the cucumber and letting it sit is what separates this from a soggy stir-fry; the salt draws out water and the slices turn glassy but keep their snap. The pork is marinated with a little oil so it slips rather than sticks. It is a twenty-five minute dish and one of the few stir-fries where the vegetable goes in last and stays out of a hot pan.
Ingredients
- cucumber100 g
- pork50 g
- amount of oil50 g
- amount of salt10 g
- soy sauce5 g
- garlic cloves2 pieces
- bird's eye chili1 pieces
Directions
- 1
Slice the lean pork, put it in a bowl with 10 g cooking oil and light soy sauce, mix evenly and marinate for 10 minutes.
- 2
Cut 5 cm off each end of the cucumber and cut the rest on the slant into 0.5 cm slices.
- 3
Put the cucumber in a bowl, sprinkle over 8 g salt, mix and leave for 5 minutes.
- 4
Peel the garlic cloves, crush them and mince; set aside.
- 5
Trim the bird's eye chili and cut it into even 0.5 cm lengths.
- 6
Heat the wok and add 40 g oil; when it is smoking, add the garlic and chili and toss about five times.
- 7
Add the marinated pork and stir-fry until it is cooked and coloured.
- 8
Add the cucumber and 2 g salt and stir-fry hard over high heat for half a minute, then serve.
Source: HowToCook · WorldBite adaptation · Unlicense source text; bilingual recipe adapted by WorldBite.