Chinese cuisine is a rare guest on my blog, but these green beans completely won me over. It’s deceptively simple, yet the combination of two peppers and sesame oil creates magic. The entire dish takes a maximum of 10 minutes to prepare. Last year, I wrote about the benefits of beans, but a separate post about string beans will follow. If you're using frozen beans, pre-thaw them slightly in a hot dry skillet to evaporate any excess water. This method also works perfectly for asparagus.
- 400 g green string beans
- 2 tbsp. olive oil (can be replaced with any other vegetable oil)
- dried chili peppers (4–5 pods, depending on the variety; I used two of the spiciest ones)
- 1 full tsp. Sichuan pepper
- a pinch of salt
- 1/2 tsp. sugar
- 5 tbsp. sesame oil (cannot be substituted)
- soy sauce (at least 2–3 tbsp., or more, to taste)
Heat the olive oil in a wok until it starts to smoke. Crush or finely chop the chili peppers and Sichuan pepper in a mortar. Add them to the oil and stir-fry until a strong, spicy aroma develops (about 2–4 minutes).
Add the green beans (if using frozen beans, thaw them slightly in a preheated dry skillet to evaporate excess moisture first) and stir-fry for 4–5 minutes, ensuring they do not brown.
Add the sugar and salt, then stir-fry for an additional 2 minutes.
Remove the wok from the heat. Drizzle the beans with soy sauce and sesame oil. Mix well. Serve hot.
Heat the olive oil in a wok until it starts to smoke. Crush or finely chop the chili peppers and Sichuan pepper in a mortar. Add them to the oil and stir-fry until a strong, spicy aroma develops (about 2–4 minutes).
Add the green beans (if using frozen beans, thaw them slightly in a preheated dry skillet to evaporate excess moisture first) and stir-fry for 4–5 minutes, ensuring they do not brown.
Add the sugar and salt, then stir-fry for an additional 2 minutes.
Remove the wok from the heat. Drizzle the beans with soy sauce and sesame oil. Mix well. Serve hot.
