Yuling’s Chinese Sweet & Sour Mixed Veg with Cucumber Salad
Recipe by Yuling. Written by Momo.
This dish came about by chance. While checking our food supplies, I noticed several bottles of sweet and sour sauce near their expiry date.
I asked Yuling, a new volunteer from China, if we could make a vegetarian meal with them. “Why not stir-fry vegetables in the sauce?” she suggested. “And we can serve it with a Chinese-style cucumber salad.”
Yuling is a houseworker. She was nervous because she had never cooked for such a large number of people before. Yet, the skills and creativity she developed in her home kitchen were invaluable.
When I explained that sesame oil was too expensive for our budget, Yuling calmly found a solution. She added scraps of onion to regular cooking oil to infuse it with flavour and aroma.
For the cucumber salad, she crushed the cucumbers with the side of a knife before cutting them so the dressing could marinate well. As we worked, Yuling shared a childhood memory. In China, she often ate cucumber sprinkled with sugar. “Cucumber wasn't really a vegetable to us,” she laughed. “It was more like a fruit.” She gave us some to try, and the sweetness unexpectedly brought back memories of summers in Japan.
For the main dish, she added fresh pineapple to the sauce to bring a natural sweetness. Watching her work with such patience and care was mesmerizing. This was the first Chinese-inspired meal we had served at Upbeat, and I was nervous about how people would respond. But there was no need to worry.
By the end of lunch, both the cooking pots and the rice cookers were completely empty. It was a reminder that cooking is not only about recipes. Yuling brought something truly valuable: the confidence, resourcefulness, and care of someone who has spent years feeding the people she loves.
Iman’s Recipe:
Ingredients (serves 4):
Sweet and Sour Mixed Veg -
1 tbsp oil
1 medium potato
½ onion
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 carrot
1 pepper
1 small broccoli (or about 1 cup florets)
100g pineapple chunks
150ml sweet and sour sauce
1 tsp tomato ketchup
1 tsp tomato paste
Soy sauce, sugar, and salt to taste
Cucumber Salad -
1 cucumber, sliced
1 small carrot, julienned
¼ onion, finely chopped
½ tsp sugar
1 tsp oil
A pinch of crushed chilli
1-2 tbsp vinegar
Salt, to taste
Method:
Prepare the potatoes: Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Place the potato pieces in a bowl, drizzle with the oil, and season lightly with salt. Toss well until all the potatoes are evenly coated. Spread them out on a baking tray in a single layer and roast for 20-25 minutes, or until soft on the inside and lightly golden on the outside.
Fry the onions: While the potatoes are roasting, heat a little oil in a large pot or deep frying pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they become soft and translucent. Add the ginger and garlic cubes and cook for a further minute until fragrant.
Stir-fry the veg: Add the carrots and peppers to the pot. Stir well and cook for 5-7 minutes, allowing the vegetables to soften slightly while still retaining some texture.
Add the sauce: Add the broccoli florets and pineapple chunks, stirring to combine with the other vegetables. Pour in the sweet and sour sauce, then add the tomato ketchup and tomato paste. Mix everything well until the vegetables are evenly coated in the sauce. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is tender and the sauce has thickened slightly.
Finalise the dish: Add the roasted potatoes to the pot and gently fold them into the sauce. Taste the dish and adjust the seasoning as required with soy sauce, sugar, and salt. Simmer for a further 2-3 minutes to allow the flavours to combine.
Serve hot on its own or with rice or noodles.
Prepare the salad
Gently smash the cucumbers with the flat side of a knife. Then chop them into bite sized pieces.
In a large bowl, mix cucumbers, carrots, and onions.
Add sugar into the bowl and leave it for about ten minutes to let the water out.
After 10 mins remove the water from the bowl.
Heat oil in a pan and add onion scrap and fry it until slightly brown. Add the oil into the bowl and mix well. (No need to add onion scrap)
Add crushed chili, vinegar and salt and mix well.
Let it sit at least 1 hour so that the flavours can soak in.
