Celery, Cucumber and Fish Cake Stir-Fry

Why people make this stir-fry

In Chinese food-therapy tradition, high blood pressure is often associated with what practitioners call “liver heat” — a constitutional pattern marked by stress, a diet heavy in salty or fatty foods, and a sedentary lifestyle. Bro Niu likes to point out that prevention starts long before any diagnosis: choosing more vegetables, less meat, and less salt is one of the simplest things a family can do together. This colourful stir-fry brings together celery (one of the most celebrated vegetables in Chinese food medicine for supporting calm blood flow), cool cucumber, and light homemade fish cakes — a genuinely tasty dish that happens to carry centuries of rationale behind it.

Who it suits / who should be cautious

• Suitable for people with a family history of hypertension, or those looking for lighter, lower-sodium vegetable-forward meals
• Traditionally considered appropriate for people with a “liver-heat, spleen-deficiency” pattern
• Those with a cold-weak digestion (loose stools, easily chilled stomach) should eat this in moderation, as celery and cucumber are considered cooling in nature

Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)

• Celery (xi qin / 西芹): Traditionally regarded as calming to the liver and supportive of smooth urinary flow; modern research has explored celery’s compounds for their relationship with blood vessel tone. Bro Niu notes that if blood pressure suddenly spikes, freshly juiced celery has long been used as a quick home remedy.
• Cucumber (qing gua / 青瓜): Cooling and hydrating; traditionally associated with clearing heat and supporting the kidneys.
• Straw mushrooms (cao gu / 草菇): Light and protein-rich, considered helpful for circulation and immune support.
• Dace fish (ling yu / 鲮鱼): A mild, low-fat freshwater fish traditionally associated with strengthening qi and muscle. Making fish cakes at home avoids the sodium and preservatives of commercial fishballs.

Ingredients (2–3 servings)

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Dace fish fillet	150 g	Minced into a paste
Chinese or Western celery	150 g	Sliced
Small cucumber	1	Sliced
Straw mushrooms	75 g	Blanched
Minced ginger	1 tsp
Egg white	1	Mixed into fish paste
Cornstarch	1 tsp	Mixed into fish paste
Salt, white pepper	To taste
Cooking oil	Small amount

Method

1. Mix the minced dace fish with salt, white pepper, cornstarch and egg white. Stir vigorously until the paste becomes smooth and slightly elastic.
2. Lightly oil a pan and pan-fry small rounds of the fish paste over medium heat until golden. Remove and cut into diamond shapes. Set aside.
3. Wash and slice the celery. Slice the cucumber. Blanch the straw mushrooms briefly in boiling water to remove any raw taste.
4. Heat a little oil in a wok. Stir-fry the minced ginger until fragrant, then add the celery, cucumber slices and mushrooms. Stir-fry over high heat for 1–2 minutes.
5. Return the fish cakes to the wok, splash in a little rice wine, season to taste, and toss everything together for another minute. Serve immediately.

Bro Niu’s tips

Celery is one of the most useful vegetables for anyone watching their blood pressure — Bro Niu suggests keeping some on hand and juicing it with a little apple when you need a quick, cooling drink. If you use a blender instead of a juicer, just add a splash of cold boiled water first to help it blend smoothly; apple makes it much more pleasant to drink. Remember: a low-salt, moderate-fat daily diet is the foundation — this dish is a delicious part of that approach.

Community questions answered (selected)

• Q (pinky): Bro Niu, if I don’t have a juicer, can I use a blender for the celery? And does black bean have to be fried before making soup? Bro Niu: Yes, a blender works fine — just add a little cool boiled water and blend. Adding apple makes it taste much better; peel, core and chop the apple first. As for black beans: frying them beforehand makes them slightly warmer and more tonifying in nature, but you can also just soak unfried beans for an hour before cooking. People who tend to run hot should skip the frying step.

• Q (阿宝): My child has a sore throat, mouth ulcers and slightly swollen lymph nodes from studying for exams. What soup would be appropriate? Bro Niu: Sore throat and mouth ulcers usually indicate yin deficiency with excess heat rising. Try a soup of soybean sprouts, firm tofu, and a few dried oysters — simmer for two hours until it is no longer cold in nature. It clears heart and stomach heat while nourishing yin, and dried oysters support brain function. The whole family can share it.

• Q (杨妈): My 18-year-old has been sleeping badly and feeling anxious ahead of exams. What soup works? Bro Niu: Try wheat grain (xiao mai mi) 38 g, roasted licorice 4 g, poria with heart wood (fu shen) 15 g, longan flesh 15 g, red dates 8 pieces, and lily bulb 38 g, simmered in 6 bowls of water down to 3. This nourishes heart-blood and calms the mind. Alternatively, a simpler version: fresh lily bulb with longan, simmered in 1.5 bowls to 1 bowl — drink before bed. Two to three servings a week until exams are over.

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Published November 2, 2012 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 4 min read.