Name: Spicy Cucumber Surprise
Yield: Serves 4 to 6 as part of a rice-based meal
Cuisine: China
Ingredients: 1 heaping teaspoon minced ginger; 1 tablespoon minced garlic; 1 tablespoon peanut oil; 1 tablespoon soy sauce; ¼ teaspoon sugar; ¼ teaspoon salt; 1 large European cucumber (1½ pounds)

Preparation info

Serves
4 to 6
as part of a rice-based meal

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Seductions of Rice

By Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid

Published 1998

About

We often prepare this dish, as European cucumbers are one of our favorite vegetables to have in the garden, and they tend to flourish. It is also a fun dish to cook for friends; most of them don’t realize they’re eating cucumbers.

Try it. It’s spicy, fun, easy, and delicious—everything a good stir-fry should be.

Ingredients

1 large European cucumber (1½ pounds)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
¼ teaspoon

Method

Peel the cucumber. Slice lengthwise into quarters, then scrape off the seeds. Slice each quarter lengthwise into thirds, then cut into 1- to 1½-inch lengths. Place by your stovetop.

In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, salt, and sugar and set aside near your stovetop together with all the other ingredients.

About 5 minutes before you wish to serve the dish, heat a wok or