Super easy and additive Sichuan style hot Zucchini stir fry. I used to have no idea about how to cook Zucchini. It was there in our local market but I never tried to make a dish with it for years. Then I dig out something quite delicious with Zucchini. It is super delicious when cooked raw or with animal fats. Zucchini itself has a very light sweetness flavor with a very rich content of water. Too much water contained will prevent it from absorbing flavors. Usually we have several types of method to attach the flavors. The first one is to use starch to coat the ingredient just like what we did in Mapo tofu, or serve it directly with a hot and heavy taste dipping sauce. Now I get the third method, try to squeeze the water out. We also get very similar dishes cooked in this way, like dry pot cabbage (by natural draining) and Sichuan dry pot potatoes (by frying with oil)

Cook's Note

• Adding some animal fat can increase the flavors of melon type vegetables greatly. Last weekend, when a group of mine gathers and we make an electric BBQ. Fat pork belly is cooked firstly and then we add zucchini slices. Wow, it tastes so good with animal fat. I believe chicken fat or cow fat also works with different flavor.
• Anther tip is to remove pulp inside because this part will get quite paste like, which might further spoil the texture.
• After washing, squeeze the water out as much as possible.

Instructions

Clean zucchini and remove any dirts on surface and then cut into 4 pieces. Remove the pulp inside and keep the melon part only. Then further cut into 0.5cm wide strips.

Then add around 1 tablespoon of salt. Mix well and set aside for 15 minutes.

Discard the liquid and add clean water to wash it. Remember to squeeze the water out as much as possible.

In wok, add oil and fry pork belly slices until browned, add doubanjiang, garlic, ginger, scallion white and fresh chili pepper. Fry until aroma.

Use super high fire and cook for 2-3 minutes until the zucchini is almost cooked.

If you love to cook zucchini, remember also to check 5 minutes zucchini salad and this raw zucchini salad.