Hot . . . as a Cucumber?

Don’t most of us think of cucumbers as being a cool and refreshing summertime food? But have you ever cooked one? 

Cooked cucumber is something that turns up in Asian recipes.  I was intrigued by the idea because I have to admit that raw cucumbers are not my favorite thing.  For some reason there are many vegetables that people like raw but I prefer cooked. 

So when I ran across this recipe for Pork and Cucumber Stir-Fry on Appetite for China I knew I had to try it.  It’s a quick and easy stir-fry that doesn’t have a lot of ingredients. 

Although the recipe recommends Chinese cucumbers, I used a regular garden variety cucumber.  The result was somewhat similar to zucchini, but slightly sweet and a little crunchier.  I also used sliced chicken breast, only because that’s what happened to be thawed in the fridge.  Next time I’ll bump up the heat by adding some chile peppers.

So if raw cucumbers taste just a little too cucumbery for you, give this a try.  I think you’ll be surprised.