Ayi’s Recipes: Stir-Fried Chinese Cucumber with Egg

Last week Ayi Yuan and I gave you Steamed Pork and Spring Onion Baozi, and this week we are sharing our recipe for a side staple that’s slightly more simple but packed full of flavour and crunch. This week we’re going back to basics with another veggie dish!

Now if you’ve been in China long enough you would have already become very much aware that in Chinese cuisine, the humble vegetable is regularly elevated to higher heights. I have always been partial to cooked vegetables, but I have a new found love for familiar and new veggies after living in China for almost six years.  From clay pot medleys, to hot pot delicacies, vegetables are taken from lackluster steamed or roasted sides (looking at you U.K), to explosively robust and flavorsome must-haves when dining out or in.

If you liked the spicy fried egg-plant dish but you like a more tempered side dish when it comes to spice, this one is for you and of course if you like a little spice in your life, you can up the ante with a few Sichuan peppers. Enjoy!

Get familiar with the basics of the dish

Ingredients

1 cup chopped Chinese cucumber (any of your choice)

2 eggs

1 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. Chinese dark vinegar

1 tbsp. light soy sauce

1/2 cup chopped spring onion

2 crushed garlic cloves

1 tsp. corn flour

1 cup peanut oil

Keep the scrambled eggs in larger chunks

Instructions

1. Over a medium-high heat, place a skillet or frying pan with half of the peanut oil. Beat the two eggs and add. You don’t want to scramble the egg too finely, so wait until the eggs start to form an omelet and then split and turn over. Stir-fry until you have medium sized fluffy pieces of egg. Set aside.
2. Add the rest of the peanut oil and garlic. When the garlic is aromatic, add the slices of cucumber. Stir-fry until slight soft and add the fried egg.
3. Add the vinegar, corn flour, and salt. Continue to stir-fry.
4. Add the soy sauce and continue to stir-fry until the cucumber is al dente. Add the chopped spring onion and continue to stir-fry for a further minute or so. Serve steaming hot!

Serve hot as a side dish

Photo: Nicole Bonnah