Chinese-Style Zucchini -- The Meditative Kitchen, Repeated Steps, Something Good

June 2024. Ethan's restaurant is ten weeks from opening. He's in the thick of the build-out and equipment installation and menu development and the hiring that makes or breaks a restaurant before it opens. He calls me most evenings around nine, when the work day winds down, and talks through what he's facing. I try to be useful when I can and to listen without advising when I can't. Most of what he faces is beyond my kitchen experience — the restaurant business is its own world. But the conversations are good. They are the best kind of conversations, the ones where someone is becoming more themselves while you listen.

Olivia is in D.C. and sends me weekly reports that read like dispatches from a parallel world. She's working with a food systems advocacy organization, attending briefings, understanding policy at a level of specificity she's excited about. She said in one email: "Mom, everything you've been doing at the workshop level is what they're trying to do at the federal level. The gap is the same. They just call it food insecurity instead of kitchen confidence." She's connecting the dots. She's doing exactly what I hoped she'd do.

I've been making refrigerator pickles all June — cucumbers from the garden, bread-and-butter slices, dilly spears. The kitchen projects that are meditative: the same steps, repeated, producing jars of something good. I make them while I think. This month I've been thinking about what comes after the second book. The curriculum I wrote with Olivia. The thousand participants. The next thing. I don't know yet what the next thing is. That's okay. I know it's coming.

The refrigerator pickles kept me sane this June — something about the rhythm of slicing and layering and waiting that made the uncertainty feel manageable. When I had more zucchini coming in from the garden than I knew what to do with, I wanted that same quality: simple steps, a little heat, a little brightness, and a result worth making again. This Chinese-style zucchini became my other June staple, ready in minutes on the stovetop while I turned over everything Olivia had written, everything Ethan had said, everything I hadn’t figured out yet about what comes next.

Chinese-Style Zucchini

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 medium zucchini (about 1 1/2 lbs), cut into 1/4-inch rounds or half-moons
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, for garnish

Instructions

1. Prep the zucchini. Wash and trim the zucchini, then slice into 1/4-inch rounds or half-moons. Pat dry with a paper towel to reduce moisture and help them sear rather than steam.
2. Mix the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
3. Sear the zucchini. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add zucchini in a single layer (work in batches if needed) and cook undisturbed for 2–3 minutes until golden on the bottom. Flip and cook 1–2 minutes more.
4. Add aromatics. Push the zucchini to the edges of the pan. Add garlic and ginger to the center and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.
5. Finish with sauce. Pour the sauce over the zucchini and toss everything together. Cook for 1 minute more until the sauce coats the zucchini and reduces slightly.
6. Garnish and serve. Transfer to a serving dish and top with sliced green onions and sesame seeds. Serve warm as a side dish or over steamed rice.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 95 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Carbs: 6g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 480mg