Dry-Fried Green Beans

One of my favourite dishes at a local restaurant are their Sichuan green bean dish that I completely devour on my own even though it’s meant to share. This dry-fried green bean recipe came extremely close to the dish that I love. I’m definitely keeping this one!

I did find that it had a little too much oil, I think a tablespoon less (3 tablespoons total) would have been perfect.

Dry-frying is just a dry-heat cooking method that uses little to no oil and no water. I particularly like this method for green beans. The dry-fried green beans have great texture—tender with just enough crunch. If you don’t have a wok, a heavy skillet will do, but a few more minutes may be required in the frying time. The recipe called for 6 minutes of frying in a wok. I used a skillet and needed 8 minutes. Stir often to evenly distribute the heat and prevent burning. The beans will pucker, and it’s OK if a few of them are slightly browned in spots.

It took me a while to find Sichuanese ya cai in the Asian market. It helps to know what you’re looking for, so I did a little research before going to the store. The recipe refers to ya cai or Tianjin preserved vegetable. The preserved vegetable used for Sichuanese ya cai is jie mo cai—mustard green. This type of mustard green is indigenous to Southeast Sichuan and the pickling process is pretty extensive. Look for pickled mustard green or, from the Tianjin area, pickled cabbage. You’ll find them in the refrigerator section of the store, packaged in tightly sealed plastic.

Both vegetables in their preserved state are tart and salty. Consider this when adding additional salt to the dish. I used a low-sodium soy sauce. Rather than add more salt, I placed soy sauce on the table for anyone who needed more seasoning.

There are many versions of dry-fried green beans. Some recipes include minced garlic, spring onions, and ginger. Experiment. This is a very flexible dish. My family does not eat pork, so I substituted ground white meat turkey with excellent results. For a vegetarian/vegan version, add the ingredients aforementioned, and throw in some carrot ribbons (carrot shavings created with a vegetable peeler) for color and a little sweetness. You can also replace the meat with dry-fried, marinated tofu cut into small pieces. Serve as a one-dish meal for lunch or dinner, or with sticky rice or fresh udon or Shanghai noodles.

I love this recipe!

Chinese cooking techniques layer flavor by seasoning in each step. Meat is a precious commodity, so a little ground pork adds protein and fat adds flavor. Ya Cai contributes a unique fermented taste. As mentioned in other reviews, Ya Cai is very salty and can be rinsed before using. The Shaoxing aged rice wine keeps well in the pantry, has great depth of flavor and can be added to most any stir-fry sauce.

It sometimes seems like those green beans take forever to become tender. The secret is to watch for the skins to pucker all over and you get a few dark brown/black spots. A time-saving tip is to blanch or microwave the green beans just enough to get that bright green color. A minute or two is about all the time they need depending on the type of green bean used. Stop the cooking by immersing them in cold water, dry them, and keep them in the refrigerator until you want to use them. That shortens the frying time to about 2 to 3 minutes in a hot pan plus a few extra minutes to finish the dish.

Once you’re comfortable with the dry-fried technique, you can turn this recipe into a number of different stir-fry dishes (think dry-fried Sichuan shrimp), adding the meat or vegetables of your choice along with garlic, chiles, and my favorite, a pinch of ground Sichuan peppercorns for that mind-blowing, mouth-numbing sensation!

Sichuan dishes don’t “swim” in sauce as we’re accustomed to seeing in Cantonese cuisine so expect this dish to appear moist or even dry but not wet. This is a great starter course for a homestyle Chinese meal.

I used grocery store green beans which I blanched and chilled. In the summer, I’d seek out Chinese long beans at a farmers market. I didn’t add additional salt. A drizzle of sesame oil finished the dish. Served as an appetizer.

I had so much fun making this restaurant favorite at home. If finding genuine Sichuan ingredients stop you from trying this dish, then omit the Ya Cai preserved vegetable, use the sherry instead of the rice wine and season to taste with soy sauce. Instead of cutting the beans, trim but leave them whole for a more dramatic appearance. For a bit more zip, add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes and some garlic toward the end of cooking (so it doesn’t burn). The drizzle of sesame oil adds a nice finishing touch. Nibble on a cooked bean before adding additional salt.

A vegetarian version is a nice appetizer or side dish. The photo of the finished recipe gives a nice visual representation of how the cooked green beans should look.