Stir-Fried Cucumbers and Pork
By Kelly SongPublished on March 3, 2025
Time
45 minutes
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Before You Begin
You can substitute English cucumbers for the Persian cucumbers; halve them lengthwise before slicing. Serve with unseasoned short or medium-grain white rice.
Instructions
- Combine 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, cornstarch, and white pepper in medium bowl. Cut pork crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices, then, stacking several slices together, cut slices into ¼-inch strips. Add pork strips to soy sauce mixture and toss until pork is evenly coated and liquid no longer pools at bottom of bowl; let sit for 10 minutes. Combine oyster sauce, sesame oil, and remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce in second bowl; set aside.
- Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add pork mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until pork is no longer pink, 2 to 3 minutes; transfer to clean bowl. Wipe skillet clean with paper towels.
- Heat remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add cucumbers and cook, stirring constantly, until cucumbers are just tender and edges are translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle salt evenly over cucumbers and stir to combine.
- Add pork to skillet with cucumbers and cook, stirring constantly, until pork is heated through and cucumbers are fully tender and translucent, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in scallions and oyster sauce mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until evenly combined and scallions are just softened, about 30 seconds. Serve.
Time
45 minutesYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Cucumbers take on a sweet, deep-flavored profile when applied to the skillet in this traditional Chinese dish. We preferred using Persian cucumbers, which have tender skins and juicy interiors that transformed pleasantly in this stir-fry. We sliced the cucumbers thin on a bias, maximizing the flesh’s surface area (which encourages more exposure to heat and allows the slices to easily soak up the sauce). We marinated strips of pork tenderloin for 10 minutes in a flavorful mixture of soy sauce, cooking wine, and white pepper. The addition of cornstarch and oil in the marinade provided a velveting effect, which allowed the meat to remain tender and succulent when cooked. We stir-fried the pork separately before the cucumbers to prevent too much moisture from being drawn out of the cucumbers (due to the saltiness of the marinade). After cooking the cucumbers until just tender, we married the two elements with a rich, savory combination of oyster sauce, soy sauce, and toasted sesame oil, which thickens and clings to each silky slice of cucumber and pork. We finished the stir-fry with scallions, which added mellow allium flavor. The dish is best served atop bowls of plain steamed rice.
Before You Begin
You can substitute English cucumbers for the Persian cucumbers; halve them lengthwise before slicing. Serve with unseasoned short or medium-grain white rice.
Instructions
- Combine 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, cornstarch, and white pepper in medium bowl. Cut pork crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices, then, stacking several slices together, cut slices into ¼-inch strips. Add pork strips to soy sauce mixture and toss until pork is evenly coated and liquid no longer pools at bottom of bowl; let sit for 10 minutes. Combine oyster sauce, sesame oil, and remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce in second bowl; set aside.
- Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add pork mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until pork is no longer pink, 2 to 3 minutes; transfer to clean bowl. Wipe skillet clean with paper towels.
- Heat remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add cucumbers and cook, stirring constantly, until cucumbers are just tender and edges are translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle salt evenly over cucumbers and stir to combine.
- Add pork to skillet with cucumbers and cook, stirring constantly, until pork is heated through and cucumbers are fully tender and translucent, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in scallions and oyster sauce mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until evenly combined and scallions are just softened, about 30 seconds. Serve.
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