One of my favorite ways to eat green beans is this Sichuan-style dish. It is punchy in flavor thanks to the chile and garlic. The green beans for this dish are typically deep-fried first, but I like to keep it simple and blister them in a hot wok or frying pan. Dry stir-frying also means no liquid, such as water, is added, so the flavor of the beans is not diluted and they retain a little bite, as well as a crispy texture from the slightly charred exterior.
This recipe was excerpted from ‘Have You Eaten?’ by Verna Gao. Buy the full book on Amazon.
Recipe information
Total Time
15 minutes
Yield
Serves 2
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Heat the cooking oil in a large frying pan or wok on high heat until very hot. Add the green beans and cook for 4-5 minutes, until the beans blister on one side. Turn the beans over and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Try not to move the beans around too much during cooking; they should be slightly wrinkled and softened. Using a slotted spoon, remove the beans from the pan.
Step 2
In the same pan, add a little more oil if it’s a bit dry. Turn the heat down slightly; add the garlic, green onion, and chili; and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes, taking care not to burn the garlic.
Step 3
Toss the beans back in and add the salt, sugar, and MSG, if using, and mix thoroughly. Check the seasoning and add more to taste, if needed.
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