Michelle's Kitchen in Toronto - Spicy Shitake, Bamboo Shoot and Cucumber Stir fry

I was rummaging around in my fridge for a low-fat snack and noticed the shitake mushrooms I had bought in Chinatown and some leftover ingredients from the great Dan Dan Noodles recipe I made from Fuchsia Dunlop's "Land of Plenty". I decided creating a new veggie dish was in order! I know most of you have never had cucumbers cooked, but when I lived in China, this was one of the ways they might be prepared so I decided to experiment. I also didn't wash the mushrooms. I simply brushed them off with a damp paper towel after removing the stems.

Spicy Shitake, Bamboo Shoot and Cucumber Stir fry

1 tsp vegetable oil (not olive)
2 tsp Tianjin pickled vegetable (I put three in the end because I like things spicier)
2 cups cleaned and chopped shitake mushrooms; stems removed
1 cup slivered bamboo shoots (I used canned)
1 cup English cucumber, cut into batonets
1-2 tsp chili garlic sauce (I used Lee Kum Kee)
1 cup chicken broth
salt to taste

Heat the oil in the pan/wok. Add the Tianjin vegetable and stir fry for 20-30 seconds. Add the mushrooms and a little salt to draw out the moisture. Add the chili garlic sauce, bamboo shoots and cucumber. Stir fry until the mushrooms are cooked; about 4-5 minutes. Add the stock and allow to reduce on medium heat. Add salt if needed (I didn't as the broth was salty enough).

Serves 4 (with rice or noodles)

Even when cooked, cucumbers stay crunchy and add a great textural element to this dish, but you could leave them out if you prefer and only use the mushrooms and bamboo shoots.