Stir-Fried Cucumbers & Beef
Submitted by gabee1
A Korean stir-fry where salt-pressed cucumbers and julienned beef come together with sesame oil, toasted seeds, and chili heat. If you’ve never cooked cucumbers before, this will change your mind.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
20 minREADY
35 minCooked cucumbers sound wrong until you try them. Then you wonder why you spent years eating them only raw.
This Korean stir-fry starts by salting thin cucumber slices to draw out their water, then wringing them dry in a towel so they’re flexible and concentrated in flavor.
Julienned beef gets a fast sear with garlic, then the cucumbers join for just a brief toss before everything gets hit with a finishing mix of sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds, scallions, soy sauce, and ground chili.
Light, snappy, and deeply savory with that signature Korean sesame warmth in every bite.
Chef Tips
- Don’t skip the salting step. Squeezing out the water is what keeps the cucumbers from turning your stir-fry into soup. You want them pliable, not soggy.
- Cut the beef into thin julienne strips for quick, even cooking. Slightly freezing the beef for 20 minutes makes this much easier.
- Keep the cucumber stir-fry time very short. They only need seconds in the wok. You want them warm and barely wilted, not soft.
- Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan until golden and fragrant before adding them. Raw sesame seeds have half the flavor.
Ingredients
Directions
Cut off both ends of cucumbers and slice thinly.
In a bowl place the cucumbers and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt; let stand 5 to 10 minutes.
When cucumbers are flexible, wrap in a cloth or paper towel and squeeze out water.
Cut beef into julienne strips.
Heat salad oil. Quickly stir-fry beef over high heat and season with Mixture A.
Add cucumber slices and stir-fry briefly. Season with Mixture B. Transfer to serving plate and garnish with shredded chili pepper.
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