Hot Sichuan Green Beans

Growing up in Taiwan, my wife ate this quite often. Green beans over there are a little thicker than what we get here, and they typically grew up to 18 inches long. These long beans were a mainstay at the dinner table, and they were usually prepared in this simple fashion, but without the red pepper flakes.


Hot Sichuan Green Beans

Ingredients:

1 lb green beans, trimmed and cut in 2-3 inch pieces
2 T soy sauce
1 T rice vinegar
2 t sugar
¼ t red pepper flakes
1 T oil
2 T garlic, minced
2 T fresh ginger, grated

Steps:

1. In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, red pepper flakes, and white pepper. Set aside.

2. Set a 10-12 inch skillet over high heat. When it is hot, add the beans and ¼ cup water. Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until beans are slightly crunchy to bite, about 4 minutes. Remove the cover and cook the remaining water away.

3. Add the oil, garlic, and ginger to the skillet. Stir fry until garlic and green beans are slightly browned, about 2 minutes. Stir soy sauce mixture into the pan and bring to a boil. Cook and stir until most of the liquid has evaporated, another 2 or 3 minutes. Serve hot or cold.