Sichuan Green Beans

One of my favorite potluck dishes from our working days was a dish of spicy-hot green beans, bought from the local Chinese restaurant. Sunset magazine had a recipe that was quite close, and I adapted it so it is very much like those wonderful green beans (or at least how I remembered them!). Now we can make them at home and enjoy them anytime. Add some chicken breast or sliced pork and serve over rice for a complete meal.

1 lb green beans 16 oz 454 grams ¼ cup water     60 ml               3 Tbs soy sauce     45 ml 1 Tbs rice vinegar (not the seasoned variety)     15 ml 1 tsp cornstarch     5 ml 2 tsp sugar     10 ml ½ tsp chili flakes     2.5 ml ¼ tsp fresh ground white pepper     1.25 ml               2 Tbs garlic (minced or pressed)     30 ml 1 Tbs vegetable oil     15 ml

Rinse and drain the green beans. 
Trim ends and break into 2 to 3” [5 to 7 cm] segments.
Heat a 10 to 12” [25 to 30 cm] frying pan over high heat.
When hot, add the green beans and water.
Cover and cook until bright green and crunchy, about 3 to 4 minutes.

While the beans are cooking:
Mix the soy sauce, vinegar, cornstarch, sugar, chili flakes and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.

When the beans are done, remove cover and continue cooking until all the water has evaporated.
Add the oil and garlic.
Stir until the beans and garlic are lightly browned, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Stir in the soy mixture and bring to a boil.
Stir and cook until the sauce thickens and coats the beans, about 2 to 3 minutes.
If the sauce gets too thick, add a couple Tablespoons of water to bring it to a smooth consistency.

Serve hot or cold.

Notes:

This dish can be made up to 2 hours in advance. After cooking, place in another dish to stop the cooking and let cool to room temperature. When cool, cover and let stand at room temperature until ready to serve. Serve at room temperature or reheat when ready to serve.

These are fairly hot, but you can reduce the chili flakes to 1/4 tsp if you prefer a milder version. Also, the original recipe called for 2 Tbs ginger which can be added if desired. You can also leave out the cornstarch, but without it, the sauce won’t stick to the beans as well.

Seasoned rice vinegar is a sweetened version of plain rice vinegar (so buy the plain and add sugar if you need it). If all you have is seasoned rice vinegar, simply reduce the sugar a bit, or enjoy slightly sweeter beans.

If you find typographical errors or have any other problems when looking at the site please send the Webmaster e-mail describing the problem and the page involved.

Copyright © 2000-2009 Jim Seavey and Verna Norris

All Rights Reserved