One of my favorite dishes on the menu of a Chinese restaurant is also one of the most ubiquitous, Schezwan green beans. In my opinion, Wild Ginger in Seattle makes the very best version, at least the best I have ever eaten. There is a recipe floating out somewhere on the internet and I have made it in the past to rave reviews, but it has a large list of ingredients including minced pork. I have been looking for a version which can be cooked quickly mid-week and is vegetarian. I found it in the cookbook Lucky Peach presents 101 Easy Asian Recipes, the same book which contains my Yum sauce.
This recipe is easy, quick, nutritious, and delicious. I found all the ingredients in my pantry. Sambal oelek is a ground chili paste, substitute chili flakes if you don’t have it. The recipe calls for a wok but I used a large skillet and it worked out fine. Don’t use one that is non-stick because you have to fry the beans at a high temperature.
Sambal oelek
Dry-Fried Green Beans
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil (I used grape seed oil, you need one that can handle high temperatures)
- 1 pound of green beans, trimmed but left whole
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
- 1/4 cup of chopped scallions
- 1/2 teaspoon of sambal oelek or Sambal (or 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes)
- 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- Kosher salt to taste
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium heat. Leave it in the pan until it starts to smoke.
- Add the green beans and stir-fry until they start to shrivel and turn brown (see photo below), this will take about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Dry-Fried Green Beans
- Turn the heat to high and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan. Add the ginger, garlic, and scallions. Stir fry for a few seconds, then add the sambal or chili flakes. Add the green beans, soy sauce and sugar to the hot pan. Toss until the beans are coated with the sauce and heated.
- Season to taste with salt and serve immediately.
Dry-Fried Green Beans
Delicious!
Sounds delicious, and easy! I have to avoid soy sauce–is there a substitute you would recommend?
Is it the soy or wheat in the sauce you want to avoid? Tamari is wheat free and would work. Soy sauce has a lot of umami, I might try substituting a bit of salt and a finely minced anchovy in a tablespoon of red wine.
Thank you!
Yum, love the sound of these beans Liz, I’ll try them one day soon, thanks
Thank you!
I was never so fond of beans maybe because I have never made them this way. Your fried beans pictures look so tempting . I would love to try it asap
Thank you, let me know if they change your mind about beans.
This is one of my favorite things in CHinese restaurants as well- Will definitely try this version- in my never ending quest to help my boys eat less meat….
It was a hit and very quick. I get it about the meat 😉
I love green beans yumm this sounds wonderful!
One of my favourite things to order at Yum Cha so thank you for sharing the recipe. 🙂
I think the restaurant versions often contain a bit of minced pork for richness. I’ve also seen diced bacon or pancetta.
Those look fantastic.
Thank you Ellen, and thank you for reading and commenting. They are a frequent dish on our table. I can’t wait for the beans from my own garden.
I love these type of green beans too! The recipe sounds delicious! Thanks for visiting my blog!