This Stir-Fried Cucumber with Egg features crunchy and juicy cucumbers sautéed with rich scrambled eggs. It comes together quickly in just one pan, perfect for busy weeknight dinners.
Though I’m not a huge fan of raw cucumber, I really enjoy sautéed cucumber. Once stir-fried briefly, cucumber still retains its crunchiness and juiciness and its natural sweetness becomes more pronounced.
In this cucumber stir-fry with egg dish, the addition of garlic and scrambled eggs add flavors, softness, and richness to the sautéed cucumber. I find the dish refreshing and fun to eat with rice.
Ingredients
This dish not only is quick and easy to cook but also requires very few ingredients. You will need cucumbers, eggs, and garlic. I use salt and pepper to season the dish, but you can also add a dash of soy sauce for more umami. The dish is healthy and naturally vegetarian.
Before cooking, we will need to scoop out all the seeds inside the cucumbers, cut into slices and toss them with some salt. This step helps to remove excess moisture, and as a result, the cucumber slices will retain their crunchiness in the stir-fry. Salt also helps to bring out the natural sweetness of cucumber.
How to Stir-Fry Cucumber with Egg
The cooking steps are quite similar to those in this Bitter Melon Stir-Fry with Egg recipe. Both are tasty, but if you don’t like the bitterness of bitter melon, I think you will like the cucumber version more.
First, sauté cucumber with garlic for a couple of minutes to heat it through thoroughly, enhance the sweetness and lose the raw taste. I have tried a version where the cucumber slices are stir-fried until soft, however, I think it’s not as good as when they are still crisp.
Next, push the cucumbers to one side of the pan and pour beaten eggs into the empty side of the pan. Let the bottom of the eggs set, and then toss eggs and cucumber slices together quickly.
You can see that the dish comes together so fast. Therefore, make sure you have all ingredients ready before turning on the stove. Also, be careful not to overcook the eggs.
Detailed measurements and instructions are in the recipe card below. I know cooking cucumber sounds like a strange idea, but I hope you will give this fun dish a try.
I’d love to hear what you think about the dish, so please feel free to leave a comment. New recipes are added every week so let’s connect on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates. You can find my collection of Vietnamese recipes here.
Stir-Fried Cucumber with Egg
Ingredients
- 1 lb cucumbers (about 2-3 cucumbers)
- 3 medium to large eggs
- salt
- olive oil
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- pepper
Instructions
- Peel cucumbers (either peel off all the skins or leave some skins to create alternating stripes). Slice in half lengthwise and scoop out all the seeds, then cut the cucumbers into thin slices on a bias.
- Place cucumber slices in a bowl and toss with 3/4 teaspoon of salt. Set aside for 20 minutes.
- Beat the eggs and season with a pinch of salt. Set aside.
- After 20 minutes, rinse the cucumber slices under running water, drain and spread them on some paper towels to absorb excess water.
- Place a pan over medium heat. Add some olive oil and once the oil is hot, add minced garlic. Sauté garlic for a few seconds until fragrant, then add cucumbers. Sauté for 1-2 minutes until cucumbers are heated through with no raw taste left. Season with a bit more salt to taste if needed.
- Push cucumber slices to one side of the pan. Add beaten eggs to the empty side of the pan. Let the bottom of the eggs set, then stir-fry and toss cucumbers with eggs briefly. This should be done quickly to avoid overcooking the eggs.
- When the eggs are cooked to your liking, transfer to a serving plate. Sprinkle freshly cracked pepper on top.
Hilary Rummel
New to cooking, this dish was a confidence builder! Great texture with cucumber and eggs. I added leftover pork chop (thinly sliced).
Romaine
Was simple, exalts and delicious!
ambyr
This has become my go-to recipe for dealing with cucumbers when the CSA sends me an excess. I usually throw in some diced chili pepper too.
barry
Love this dish. I grew up with this dish. I’m 50 so you know this dish has been around. Great that you are featuring this classic.
Sophie
Hi Barry,
Thank you for the additional information. I didn’t know it has been around that long. I first had it in Singapore and liked it a lot. Thanks again for the comment!