This is a fine main dish for 2 or 3 people but you could serve 4 by adding another dish (maybe a salad or soup). Rice is the perfect pairing for eating the stir-fry. This recipe was adapted from Grace Young’s Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge (2010, Simon & Schuster).
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: cucumber, garlic, stir fry
Servings: 4
Ingredients
½cuppeanut or vegetable oil
3tablespoonschopped garlic
12ounceslean pork shoulder or butt
1 ½teaspoonscornstarch
3teaspoonssoy sauce
¼teaspoonsugar
¼teaspoonfine sea salt
8slicesginger,smashed
1very large English cucumber or similar kind of cucumber,trimmed, halved lengthwise and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices (seeded, if you like; about 3 cups total)
Instructions
Pour the oil into a 14-inch flat bottom wok or small saucepan. Add the garlic. Heat over medium-low heat, and after things gently sizzle, fry for a few minutes, shaking the pan as needed, until light golden. Pull off the heat and let the garlic continue gently frying until golden. Pour through a mesh strainer set over a bowl to drain. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the oil for stir-frying. Save the rest for cooking other things. If you used the wok, wash and dry it before stir-frying.
In a shallow bowl, combine the pork, cornstarch, 1 ½ teaspoons of the soy sauce, suga, and ¼ teaspoon of the salt. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1 ½ teaspoon soy sauce and 1 tablespoon cold water.
Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or 12-inch skillet over high heat until a bead of water vapor rises within 1 to 2 seconds of contact. Swirl in 2 tablespoons of the reserved garlic oil, add the ginger slices, then stir-fry 30 seconds, or until the ginger is fragrant. Push the ginger to the sides of the wok, carefully add the pork, and spread it evenly in one layer in the wokl.
Cook undisturbed for 1 minute, letting the pork begin to sear. Then stir-fry 1 minute, or until the pork is lightly browned but not cooked through. And the cucumbers and stir-fry 30 seconds, or until well combined. Sprinkle on the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, then pour in the reserved soy sauce mixture along the sides of the wok. Stir-fry 1 minute or until the pork is just cooked and the cucumber begins to soften. Stir in most of the fried garlic, saving some for garnish. Transfer to a large dish, shower with leftover fried garlic and serve.
Notes
Don't want to cook pork? Stir-fry boneless skinless chicken thigh instead.Never miss a recipe! Subscribe to the VWK Newsletter!