Shrimp Cucumber Stir Fry – this is a very refreshing and light dish we like to make. Marinated shrimp stir fried with chunks of crunchy cucumber with minced garlic.

Before we get in to the recipe, I thought I’d give some tips on the preparation! If you’re ready for the recipe though you can scroll right past.

Marinating the shrimp

We will be marinating the shrimp before we cook it. It’s a simple marinade and the main point is to add some flavor to it and also tenderizing it. The marinade consists of some salt, cornstarch, and rice cooking wine.

The rice wine not only helps with flavor, but it’s slight acidity also helps tenderize the shrimp. This is perfect especially if you do not have super fresh shrimp.

The cornstarch is used for its velveting effect. This is commonly used in Asian cooking as it crates a thin coating of the shrimp (or whatever meat you are marinating) and this helps prevent it from drying out during stir fries.

Cutting the cucumber

Cut the cucumber in chunks. If they are on the larger size, you can cut them vertically first (length wise) and then cut them in to 1/2 to 1 inch width. Or you can do this very cool cutting style called ‘roll cutting’.

Roll cutting aka oblique cutting is a technique where you can cut long veggies like zucchini, carrots, Chinese eggplants, in a way that will expose the most amount of surface are – this makes it cook faster and absorbent of sauces/spices.

Salt the cucumbers

The other optional thing to do is to salt the cucumbers. This helps improve texture as the salt draws out excess moisture from the cucumber so it is more ‘crisp’ and less ‘soft’ after you stir fry. However, it is an extra step that is not required so if you want to skip it you can.

If you want to salt it here is how:

In a large bowl, mix cucumbers with about 1/2 tsp of salt, and rub on cucumbers to spread evenly. Allow it to sit for about 15-30 minutes. Then rinse the cucumbers and pat cucumbers dry with a paper towel.

How to cook Shrimp Cucumber Stir Fry

First gather your ingredients:

Shrimp Marinade:
- 1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp michiu / rice cooking wine
- 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp cooking oil
2 cucumbers, cut in to chunks
3 cloves of garlic, roughly minced
Salt, as desired
White pepper (optional)

In a bowl, mix shrimp, and cornstarch, rice cooking wine, and salt together. Allow it to marinade for about 15-30 minutes.

In a wok or cooking pan, add minced garlic and allow it to cook for about a minute. Then add shrimp and stir fry for about 30 seconds on each side.

Then, add cucumbers to pan and stir fry everything for about 1-2 mins, it should turn in to a vibrant green.

Season with salt and white pepper (optional) to taste, and then stir fry for another minute or until shrimp is cooked thoroughly.

Remove from heat and serve!

Here I served it family style with my Chicken Stir Fry with Chinese Eggplants and Tomatoes!

Yield: 2 servings

Shrimp Cucumber Stir Fry

Name: Shrimp Cucumber Stir Fry
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 7 min
Total time: 22 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined; 1 tsp cornstarch; 1 tsp michiu / rice cooking wine; 1/2 tsp salt; 2 tbsp cooking oil; 2 cucumbers, cut in to chunks; 3 cloves of garlic, roughly minced; Salt, as desired; White pepper (optional)

Shrimp Cucumber Stir Fry – this is a very refreshing and light dish we like to make. Marinated shrimp stir fried with chunks of crunchy cucumber with minced garlic.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 7 minutes

Total Time 22 minutes

Ingredients

Shrimp Marinade:

1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp michiu / rice cooking wine
1/2 tsp salt

Stir Fry

2 tbsp cooking oil
2 cucumbers, cut in to chunks
3 cloves of garlic, roughly minced
Salt, as desired
White pepper (optional)

Instructions

In a bowl, mix shrimp, and cornstarch, rice cooking wine, and salt together. Allow it to marinade for about 15-30 minutes.
In a wok or cooking pan, add minced garlic and allow it to cook for about a minute. Then add shrimp and stir fry for about 30 seconds on each side.
Then, add cucumbers to pan and stir fry everything for about 1-2 mins, it should turn in to a vibrant green.
Season with salt and white pepper (optional) to taste, and then stir fry for another minute or until shrimp is cooked thoroughly.
Remove from heat and serve!

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1 plate
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 372Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 239mgSodium: 1959mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 28g

The nutrition information for this recipe is an approximate total per serving. Please double check the nutrition information for your exact ingredients and brands for more precise nutrition information. Keep in mind that if there is a marinade, often times not all the ingredients will be consumed.