It’s one of the most popular side dishes at Chinese restaurants and buffets – green beans paired with fresh garlic and/or ginger, lightly coated with a flavorful sauce. The traditional method for cooking the green beans is “dry-frying” – stir-frying the beans for several minutes until they are tender. However, there are no hard and fast rules – time-pressed restaurant cooks frequently deep-fry the green beans. You can also steam them first before pairing with the other ingredients. Here are my favorite Chinese green bean recipes:
1. How to Cook Chinese Green Beans
These easy step-by-step photo instructions illustrate the basic technique for making Chinese green beans. The recipe uses Chinese longbeans, but you can substitute other types of green beans, such as string beans, haricots verts or runner beans.
2. Chinese Green Beans
In this recipe the beans are cooked with garlic, ginger and chili paste (you can substitute chili peppers if desired) before being tossed with a flavorful bean sauce.
3. Beef With Chinese Green Beans
Green beans are paired with thin strips of stir-fried beef in a simple but flavorful sauce made with two types of soy sauce and sugar.
4. Chinese Green Beans With Pork
Seasoned with chili powder, salt and other spices, Szechuan preserved vegetable adds a distinct flavor to this dish. It is available in cans in Chinese/Asian markets.
5. Easy Green Beans With Mushrooms
After "dry-frying," the green beans are paired with stir-fried fresh mushrooms and seasoned with garlic, ginger, and hoisin sauce.
