Stuffed Cucumbers

stuffed cucumbers sm

This dish brings together fresh cucumber slices and savory meat stuffing, a combination that will be familiar to fans of Chinese and Thai food who have also encountered the dish stuffed bitter melon.

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Ingredients:

  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 1 cup raw shrimp, peeled and devined, finely chopped into a paste
  • 3-4 pieces dried shitake mushroom, presoaked in the water and then finely chopped
  • 1 tsp. soy sauce
  • 1/8 heaping tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. white ground pepper
  • 2 tbsp. cooking wine
  • 2 tsp. sesame oil
  • 1 tsp. tapioca starch
  • 3 large cucumbers, sliced into 2 cm (3/4 inch) thick cylinders

Instructions:

  1. Mix all of the listed ingredients together except for the cucumbers. Hand-whip the mixture, stirring in one direction only, until well blended. This should take approximately 3 to 4 minutes.
  2. Remove the center part of the cucumber containing the seeds. Wipe cucumber slices dry and sprinkle with tapioca starch.
  3. Stuff cucumber slices with the meat mixture. The bottom part of cucumber should be stuffed and then patted flat so that it lies flat when it cooks. The top part should be overstuffed liked a raised dome.
  4. Place the stuffed cucumber pieces in a steamer and steam under high heat for 15 minutes.
  5. Use tapioca water (1 Tbsp Tapioca + 1/4 cup of water) to thicken the broth that comes from steaming the stuffed cucumber pieces. Spread this broth evenly on each cucumber piece. Recipe yields approximately 20 pieces.

Tip:

Select large cucumbers since they can hold more stuffing.  You can also use the ends of the cucumber by cutting a small slice into each end so that it sits flat and can be stuffed and cooked. Otherwise, save the cucumber ends for another recipe.

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