Flash-Fried Green Beans

Ganbian Sijidou (干煸四季豆)

Fresh green beans are flash fried and then stir fried with spicy red chilies, numbing Sichuan pepper, and an incredible meat sauce made from minced pork belly.

This has always been one of my FAVORITE dishes! Why? It's simple in appearance, but complex in flavor. The green beans have a wonderful bite and unique texture from flash frying. The minced pork belly is crispy like bacon. And the chilies with the Sichuan pepper add a nice touch of spiciness that's noticeable but not overwhelming.

The Chinese word translated here as Flash-Fry literally means Dry-Fry (干煸). This is because, when food is fried quickly in extremely hot oil, all the water quickly evaporates. This cooking method is extremely important to Sichuan cuisine and can be found in numerous dishes such as Spicy Chili Chicken (辣子鸡) and Kung Pao Chicken (宫保鸡丁). When this technique is used on meat such as chicken, it creates an incredibly crispy exterior. But when used on veggies like green beans, it creates this unique, wrinkly, toothsome feel to the pod. If you would like some more information on Dry-Frying food, check out this link for Crispy-Fried Chicken (干煸鸡).

For those of you used to eating green beans out of a can, buying and preparing fresh green beans might seem unusual. Green beans are also known as string beans because of the long fibrous string running down the length of the pod. So, when preparing fresh green beans, this fibrous string must be removed as much as possible. This is done by snapping off the end while pulling the string down the length of the pod.

When green beans are unripe, they have a bright green color. But as the beans ripen, the color fades to more of a whitish color. In the US, the unripened, bright green pods are commonly used, whereas in China the lighter colored pods are more readily available in stores. Regardless, both works great for Flash-Fried Green Beans and will have virtually the same flavor.

The best meat for making Flash-Fried Green Beans is definitely pork belly. When cooked in the following recipe, it adds a crispy, almost bacon-like element to the green beans. Actual bits of roughly chopped bacon or even ground pork can also be used, but if able, stick with the classic pork belly. The best cut of pork belly for this recipe will have a ratio of about 50% fat to 50% meat. This part can be found along the outer edges of the pork belly and is usually slightly cheaper than the center-cut. So, save the center-cut pork belly for dishes like Red-Braised Pork Belly (红烧肉), which requires the beautiful layers of fat and meat.

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 10 min

Total Time: 25 min

Serving: 4 people

Ingredients

400 grams of Long Green Beans
150 grams of fatty Pork Belly (Half fat/ half meat)

Chilies
1 cup of 1-inch-pieces of Dried Red Chilies (About 10 grams)
2 - 3 tsp. Sichuan Pepper (About 3 grams)

Aromatics
1 heaping Tbsp. (1/2 pack) of Yibin Yacai
2-inch block of Ginger (Optional)
2 large cloves of Garlic (Optional)

Frying Ingredients
Peanut Oil

Seasonings
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. MSG
1/2 tsp. White Sugar
1/4 tsp. Chinkiang Black Vinegar

Finishing Oil
1 tsp. Sichuan Pepper Oil OR Scallion Oil

Directions

1.) Using your fingers, snap off both ends of the Green Beans removing the long, hard stringy part. Snap the Green Beans in half and place the halves in a bowl.

2.) Slice the Pork into strips and then cut into little chunks. Use two Cleavers to finely mince the pork and place into a bowl.

3.) Using kitchen shears, snip the Red Chilies into one-inch pieces and place in a bowl along with the Sichuan Pepper. This will be the bowl of Chilies.

4.) Open the pack of Yibin Yacai and place a heaping tablespoon of it into a bowl. Peel and finely chop the Garlic and Ginger, adding it to the Yibin Yacai. This will be the bowl of Aromatics.

5.) Fill a seasoned wok about half full of Peanut Oil and heat on high for deep frying. (DO NOT fill the wok more than half full; when the green beans are added, the water will quickly evaporate creating bubbles in the oil. If the wok is too full, the super-hot oil can bubble over. If the oil bubbles start to rise too high, cut off the heat immediately!). Once the Oil is super-hot, add the Green Beans and fry for about 20 - 30 seconds, just long enough to shock the skin on the Green Beans making it a little wrinkly.

6.) Place a wire strainer over a large pot and pour the contents of the wok into it, separating the Beans from the Oil. Allow the Beans to rest while returning the wok to heat.

7.) Add the minced Pork to the hot wok and stir fry about half a minute until the oil renders out of the meat and the meat is cooked. (If using ground pork or bacon instead, you may need to add a little extra oil when stir frying).

8.) Add the bowl of Chilies and the bowl of Aromatics to the wok and stir fry with the Pork about 30 seconds until everything is thoroughly mixed and fragrant.

9.) Return the Green Beans to the wok and stir fry with the Pork a few seconds until everything is mixed thoroughly.

10.) Remove from the heat and add the Seasonings (Salt, MSG, Sugar, Vinegar). Return to heat and stir fry a few more seconds.

11.) Finally, drizzle in about a teaspoon of Sichuan Pepper Oil and give a final couple of stirs. Then, plate and serve.

 

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