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Crisp cucumber and tender eggs are stir fried with simple seasonings and aromatics, elevated by dried lily flowers and wood ear mushrooms for texture. I want to share this family recipe that makes a vegetable dish so satisfying.

Cucumber and Egg Stir Fry

By Maggie Zhu
5 from 4 votes
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 2 to 4 servings
Crisp cucumber and tender eggs are stir fried with simple seasonings and aromatics, elevated by dried lily flowers and wood ear mushrooms for texture. I want to share this family recipe that makes a vegetable dish so satisfying.

Ingredients

  • 1 handful dried lily flowers , yields 1 and 1/2 cups after rehydration (*Optional, Footnote 1)
  • 12 pieces dried wood ear mushrooms , yields 1 cup after rehydration (*Optional, Footnote 1)
  • 3 tablespoons peanut oil (or vegetable oil) (*See footnote 2)
  • 3 big eggs , beaten with 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cloves garlic , minced
  • 1 scallion , thinly sliced, white and light green parts separated
  • 1 small carrot , sliced into diamond shape (*See footnote 3)
  • 1 Chinese or English cucumber , sliced into diamonds (*See footnote 3)
  • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Place lily flowers and wood ear mushrooms into two separate medium-sized bowls, and add warm water to cover. Let rehydrate until turning tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Gently rinse off any dirt on the surface and drain. Snip off the tough ends from the lily flowers, if needed. Halve them if too long. Cut the wood ear mushrooms into bite-size pieces. Gently pat dry with paper towels.
  • Heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet or wok until hot. Add egg and scramble it. Let the eggs cook until some of the surface has turned golden brown. Transfer to a plate.
  • Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and the garlic and scallion whites. Stir a few times until fragrant.
  • Add lily flowers, wood ear mushrooms and carrot. Cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes, until the carrot starts to turn tender.
  • Add cucumber. Swirl in soy sauce and sugar. Sprinkle with chicken bouillon. Immediately stir to mix well.
  • Return cooked egg to the skillet and stir to mix well. Taste the dish and sprinkle with extra salt if needed. Continue stirring until all the ingredients are mixed well.
  • Turn off heat. Swirl in the sesame oil and stir to mix well. Serve hot over steamed rice as a main dish or as a side dish.

Notes

  1. Dried lily flower and wood ear mushrooms are not must-have ingredients in classic cucumber and egg stir fry. They are ingredients in my family recipe that I enjoy a lot. Feel free to use just one of them, or skip them all together if you prefer a simpler dish.
  2. Do use a generous amount of oil in this dish. The lily flowers and carrots soak up quite a bit of oil during cooking. If you skimp on the oil, the dish will turn out very dry.
  3. To cut the vegetables into diamond shape, slice on a bias about 45 degrees into pieces that are about 1” thick. Then rotate the piece so the cut side is face down. Slice across it into slices that are about 1/4” thick. (see my blog post above for detailed pictures).
  4. To make the dish gluten-free: use tamari to replace soy sauce.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 184kcal, Carbohydrates: 6.6g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 15.2g, Saturated Fat: 3.1g, Cholesterol: 140mg, Sodium: 372mg, Potassium: 336mg, Fiber: 1.6g, Sugar: 2.8g, Calcium: 51mg, Iron: 2mg