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Sides

Dry-Fried Green Beans

The Quirky Foodster Team

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (0)
10 min
Prep
15 min
Cook
4
Servings

Ingredients

  • 400 g (14 oz) green beans, trimmed
  • 80 g (3 oz) minced pork
  • 2 tbsp preserved mustard greens (or preserved radish), chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 4 tbsp vegetable oil

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a wok over medium-high heat and fry the green beans for 6-8 minutes, turning occasionally, until wrinkled, blistered and slightly charred in spots. Remove and drain.
  2. Pour off all but 1 tbsp of the oil, then stir-fry the minced pork until browned and crumbly.
  3. Add the garlic, ginger and preserved mustard greens, and stir-fry for 1 minute until fragrant.
  4. Return the beans to the wok, add the soy sauce, sugar and salt, and toss well for 1-2 minutes to combine before serving.

Introduction: This Sichuan side dish blisters green beans in hot oil until wrinkled and slightly charred, then tosses them with minced pork and preserved vegetables for a deeply savoury, textured accompaniment popular alongside rice-based mains.

Cultural Background: This Sichuan side dish blisters green beans in hot oil until wrinkled and slightly charred, then tosses them with minced pork and preserved vegetables for a deeply savoury, textured accompaniment popular alongside rice-based mains.

Tips: Frying the beans until genuinely wrinkled is key to the dish's texture; don't rush this step. Keep the pork mixture moving constantly so it turns crumbly rather than clumping.

Variations: Omit the pork for a vegetarian version, adding extra preserved vegetable for savouriness. Add a few dried chillies for extra heat.

Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Reheating: Reheat in a hot wok or pan to help restore some of the beans' texture.

Nutrition: Approx. 160 kcal, 6g protein, 12g fat, 8g carbohydrate per serving.

FAQs

Q: Why fry the beans for so long?
A: Extended frying blisters and wrinkles the skin, concentrating flavour and giving the beans a distinctive chewy-crisp texture central to the dish.

Q: Can this be made without deep-frying?
A: A generous amount of oil in a hot wok, as described, achieves a similar effect without a separate deep-fry step.

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