Dry-Fried Green Beans by Fuchsia Dunlop

Gan Bian Si Ji Dou
(Dry-Fried Green Beans)
by Fuchsia Dunlop
from Land of Plenty:
A Treasury of Authentic Sichuan Cooking
(W.W. Norton, 2003)
Serves 4

Rate this recipe

This is one of Sichuan's most famous vegetable dishes. The green beans are traditionally dry-fried over a medium heat until they are tender and slightly wrinkled, although these days most restaurants deep-fry them to reduce the cooking time. If you want to minimize the oiliness, you can steam or boil the beans to cook them through instead of frying them, and then follow the rest of the recipe (from step 3) according to the instructions given below. This method is not authentic, but the results are delicious, particularly for the vegetarian version of the dish.


convert		Ingredients
10 ounces		haricots verts or green beans
		Peanut oil
3 ounces		ground pork (about 2/3 cup)
2 teaspoons		Shaoxing rice wine or medium-dry sherry
2 teaspoons		soy sauce
2 tablespoons		Sichuanese ya cai or TianJin preserved vegetable, finely chopped
		Salt to taste
1 teaspoon		sesame oil

Buy the Book

Method

1. Remove any strings from the edges of the beans and trim off the tops and tails. Break them into short sections (about 2 inches long).

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok, add the beans, and stir-fry over a medium flame for about 6 minutes, until they are tender and their skins are a little puckered. Remove from the wok and set aside. If you want to save time, deep-fry the beans at about 350°F (175°C) until they are tender and puckered.

3. Heat another 2 tablespoons of oil in the wok over a high flame, add the pork, and stir-fry for 30 seconds or so until it's cooked, splashing in the Shaoxing rice wine and the soy sauce as you go.

4. Add the ya cai or Tianjin preserved vegetable and stir-fry briefly until hot, then toss in the beans, stir and toss, adding salt to taste (remember that the ya cai is already very salty).

5. Remove from the heat, stir in the sesame oil, and serve.

Reviews

[Kari Heerman] I could not be more enthusiastic about this and all of the recipes in Ms. Dunlop's book. I purchased the book about one month ago after reading the enticing description of Sichuan food in Mark Kurlansky's book, Salt: A World History.

A woman whom I work with lived for two years in the capital of the province, Chengdu, and dry-fried green beans was one of her favorite dishes. She found the recipe to be an accurate representation of her experience of Sichuanese food, not to mention delicious.

She and I spent an afternoon a few weeks ago buying the 'pantry' suggested by Ms. Dunlop — things like the Tianjin preserved vegetable and Shaoxing rice wine called for in the recipe. We tested several of the recipes in the book that day, and she remarked at how well they represent what is actually eaten in the Sichuan province. Moreover, she had many of the same memories of the province that Ms. Dunlop shares in the book, with the descriptions of the recipes and techniques. I enthusiastically recommend this recipe and the book to anyone who is interested in trying something new. Once you have the initial set of new ingredients you can make almost everything in the book very quickly and easily.

[Shelly Sinton] Green beans are one of my favorite vegetables, and this recipe elevates my fervor. The infusion of garlic, ginger, and the welcome chile heat burst onto the palate with every bite. Definitely a dynamite side for Asian entrees but also a winner to pair with other cuisine.