Good ideas for using Cucumbers

[Becky]

I'm making a pork stir-fry tonight that uses a whole cucumber sliced into ribbons - pork fillet is marinated in chilli bean paste, and the cucumber is added right at the end. If it's good I'll share the recipe here!

 

[Becky]

The stir-fry was really tasty, so here's the recipe for anyone who is interested! It's from Chinese Food in Minutes by Ching He Huang.

Ingredients - serves 2
1 tbsp. chilli bean sauce
300g pork fillet cut into strips
2 tbsp. potato flour or cornflour
3-4 tbsp. groundnut oil
1 tbsp. Sichuan peppercorns (max. - they are really strong)
1/2 tbsp. shaohsing rice wine or sherry
1 tbsp. light soy sauce
1 tbsp. black rice vinegar or balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1 cucumber, peeled and cut into ribbons using veg peeler
Rice to serve

1. Mix the pork and chilli bean sauce and leave to marinate for up to 24 hours (or as long as you've got)
2. When ready to cook, coat the pork in the cornflour. Add oil to the hot wok or frying pan, and add the peppercorns.
3. After a few seconds add the pork and fry for a minute or two, then add the rice wine.
4. Once the pork is cooked (shouldn't take long) add the soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil.
5. Lastly add the cucumber strips and stir well, and serve immediately with rice.

It was really good, and a great way to use up a whole cucumber between two people. It added a really nice freshness to the dish!

 

[forextraspecialstuff]

I love how the article mentioned some beauty benefits of cucumbers. I love mashing them into a face mask. It is cooling on a hot day and also seems to give a temporary tighten and lift to my face.

 

[alexiskilgannon]

Maybe you should try out a fresh yogurt sauce to put over pretty much everything. You just take some greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, diced cucumber, and fresh dill. It is absolutely delicious!

 

[Rosyrain]

Great ideas everyone! I often use cucumbers in my chopped salsa as it makes the salsa taste very fresh! I love the combination of cucumbers and lime juice.

 

[kammy]

There is nothing to me like juicing my cucumber with a piece of ginger it is so refreshing; I think it is the perfect drink for those hot summer days.

Whenever I am on the computer all day and my eyes are tired I usually lay on my back and put cucumber slices on my eyes;it cools and relax my eyes instantly; the effect is just amazing

 

[cmiller]

Great links thanks for sharing this was great information. I love cucumbers I love them And I love the way they smell as well.

 

[evelynmcgregor]

I like to mix sliced cucumbers with dill and sour cream.