The protein cooking time listed in this recipe has been updated.
As of December 2025, we’ve revised cooking times for all our proteins to reflect improved food safety guidance.
Check out the latest recommended times in our Cooking Guidelines.
Sichuan-style Sunflower Mince with Brown Rice & Smashed Cucumber
Bring the flavours of Sichuan, China to your dining table. Cooling cucumber – tossed with peanuts, garlic, vinegar and chilli – is the perfect contrast to sizzling sunflower mince. Pair with pak choi and plenty of nutty brown rice to soak up all the sauce.
Ready in 20
High protein
1/3 daily fibre
8 plants
Low sat fat
Family classics
Serving size
Ingredients
- 500g steamed brown basmati rice (Natural Brown Basmati Rice – Steamed (98%), Rice Bran Oil, Acacia Fibre.)
- 160g mangetout
- 4 tbsp tamari (Soya) (water, soybeans, salt, spirit vinegar)
- 8 tsp ginger & garlic paste (Ginger puree IQF, Garlic puree IQF, Citric Acid, Water)
- 2 pak choi
- 2 spring onion
- 1 handful of fresh coriander
- 1 cucumber
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar (Rice Vinegar, Salt)
- 1 chilli
- 20g roasted peanuts (Peanuts, Nuts, Sesame)
- 2 tbsp maple syrup (maple syrup(100%))
- 72g sunflower mince (Sunflower mince)
Nutritional Information
Calories: 387
Protein: 20g
Carbs: 42g
Fat: 14g
Sichuan-style Sunflower Mince with Brown Rice & Smashed Cucumber
Bring the flavours of Sichuan, China to your dining table. Cooling cucumber – tossed with peanuts, garlic, vinegar and chilli – is the perfect contrast to sizzling sunflower mince. Pair with pak choi and plenty of nutty brown rice to soak up all the sauce.
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Cooking Instructions
Before you start
- Pull out a large frying pan, a medium frying pan, 2 medium bowls, a rolling pin, a sieve & a measuring jug
Smash the cucumber
- Place the sunflower mince into a medium bowl and cover with cold water. Leave for 10 mins, then drain
- With the rolling pin, bash the cucumber, then cut into large chunks. Deseed and finely slice the chilli. Roughly chop the peanuts and coriander
- In the other medium bowl, combine the cucumber, vinegar, half the peanuts, half the chilli (for those who'd like the heat), half the coriander and half the maple syrup. Season with salt, mix and set aside
Time to fry
- Thinly slice the spring onions. Trim and cut the pak choi into bite-sized pieces
- Heat the medium frying pan with 1 tbsp oil on medium-high heat. Once hot, add the drained sunflower mince and cook for 3-4 mins, until golden brown
- Add the spring onion and half the ginger & garlic paste, cook for 1 min more, then add the tamari, the remaining maple syrup and 50ml water. Simmer for 30 secs, until reduced slightly. Season with salt and pepper
Heat the rice
- Meanwhile, heat the large frying pan with 1 tbsp oil on medium-high heat. Once hot, add the pak choi and mangetout
- Cook for 4-5 mins, until softened, then add the remaining ginger & garlic paste and cook for 1 min more
- Add the rice and break it up with a wooden spoon. Stir in 50ml water and a pinch of salt and cook for 2-3 mins, until piping hot
Plate up
- When ready, stir the pickling liquid from the cucumber through the rice, then serve into bowls, with the sunflower mince and smashed cucumber alongside
- Garnish with the remaining coriander, peanuts and chilli (for those who'd like the heat)
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