Chinese Green Beans

Chinese Green Beans

四季豆 sì jì dòu

Delicious and spicy green beans is the popular Chinese restaurant dish featuring stir-fried green beans. It is also known as snap beans or string beans.

It comes from the Sichuan region in western China, and like many Sichuan dishes, is highly seasoned. The secret to making Chinese green beans is a cooking technique called “dry-frying” (gan bian) – frying the green beans until the skin starts to “pucker” and turn brown. This makes them extra tender.

This dish is richly flavoured from the sauce and spices. It is only mildly spicy if you do not eat the chili. The texture is a combination of both tender and crispy. This simple dish with its unique taste is sure to make you addictive!

The Recipe:

Ingredients:
•    1 pound green beans
•    Sauce:
•    1 tablespoon bean sauce (available at Asian markets; Koon Chun is a good brand, or you can substitute hoisin sauce)
•    1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
•    2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
•    1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
•    Other:
•    1 tablespoon chopped garlic
•    1 tablespoon chopped ginger
•    2 scallions, chopped, white part only
•    1/2 teaspoon chili paste
•    3 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil for stir-frying, or as needed
Preparation:
1.    Wash the green beans and drain thoroughly. Trim the ends and cut on the diagonal into pieces approximately 2 inches long.
2.    Combine the sauce ingredients and set aside.
3.    Heat the wok on medium heat and add 2 tablespoons oil, drizzling the oil down the sides of the wok. When the oil is hot, add the beans. Stir-fry for 7 – 10 minutes, until their skins pucker and turn brown and the green beans are tender without being mushy. Remove the beans from the wok.
4.    Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the wok on medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the chopped garlic, ginger and scallions. Stir-fry briefly for a few seconds until aromatic. Add the chili paste.
Add the sauce and the green beans. Toss the ingredients together and serve hot.

Vocabulary:

sì jì dòu
四 季 豆       chinese green bean /snap bean / string bean         n.
dà suàn
大 蒜           garlic                 n.
mǐ jiǔ
米 酒           rice wine            n.