Chinese Green Beans
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Get your daily dose of greens in with this spicy, garlicky and delicious Chinese Green Beans recipe. It’s a Chinese takeout favourite but you can also make it right at home too!
Where Does It Come From?
You’ve probably ordered Chinese green beans at your favourite Chinese restaurant but it may go by another name. It can also go by “Sichuan Green Beans” since the dish comes from the Sichuan Province, China. Sichuan cuisine is known far and wide for its use of hot peppers and mouth-numbing dishes.
Like many other Sichuan dishes, it’s highly seasoned. Chinese green beans are spicy, salty and garlicky which makes them the perfect pair for a steaming bowl of rice. Not every Sichuan dish is spicy though. Of course, you can always omit the spice and just make stir-fried garlic beans. Either way, they taste delicious!
How to Make Chinese Green Beans
Overall, this Chinese Green Beans recipe sounds like your average stir-fry recipe but there’s something that makes it special. The texture of the beans isn’t the same as if you were to regularly stir-fry them. Instead, the traditional technique called “dry frying” is used. This makes the green beans extra tender but still crispy.
The beans are fried longer until they begin to blister and turn brown. The combination of the high heat and oil achieve the crispy outside and tender inside. You can try using an oven and roasting the beans but you might not get the crispiness.
You can also add protein to this recipe if you’d like. Ground beef is recommended since many Chinese takeout restaurants like to add it but feel free to experiment with other proteins. You can even try tofu to keep it vegetarian.
Don’t forget to try our other classic Chinese takeout recipes like Thai Basil Chicken or Wonton Noodle Soup.
Chinese Green Bean Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb green beans or Chinese long beans
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- 1 ½ knob fresh ginger
- ½ tsp chilli paste
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- ½ tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp salt, or to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
Instructions
- Start by washing your green beans and draining them. Then trim the top and bottoms of each bean. If you are using the Chinese long beans, cut them on a diagonal into 2-inch long slices.
- Peel both the ginger and the garlic cloves. Slice the ginger and mince the garlic.
- To dry-fry the beans, heat 1 tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium heat in a wok and then add in the green beans. Stir-fry them until the beans begin to shrivel and turn brown. If you are using Chinese long beans this will take about 6 to 7 minutes.
- Then, remove the beans from the wok and set them aside.
- Add another tablespoon of vegetable oil to the wok and heat over high heat. Add the sliced ginger and garlic and stir-fry for a couple of seconds or until they become fragrant.
- Add in the chilli paste and stir-fry for a few more seconds.
- After, add the green beans back in with the dark soy sauce, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir everything together and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Cook for another minute and then remove from the heat. Serve hot with a side of steamed rice. Enjoy!
