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Sichuan dry-fried green beans
Blistered, wrinkled beans with chilli, Sichuan pepper and preserved vegetable
Gan bian si ji dou, 'dry-fried four-season beans', is a fixture of Sichuan restaurant menus and home tables alike. The beans are fried until their skins wrinkle and blister, then tossed in a hot, dry wok with chilli, Sichuan pepper and salty preserved mustard greens (ya cai) from Yibin. Nothing is saucy: every bean is coated and slightly chewy. Restaurants usually add pork; this vegetarian version leans on the ya cai for depth. Chef's tip: dry the beans completely after washing, or they will spit and steam instead of blistering.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
Main
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a wok over a medium-high heat. Add 14 oz green beans and fry, stirring every 30 seconds, for 7–8 minutes. They are ready when the skins wrinkle and blister in brown patches and the beans bend without snapping.
8 minStep 2: Push the beans up the sides of the wok (or lift them out) so the oil collects in the middle. Common mistake: covering the wok to speed things up. The beans steam, turn olive green and never wrinkle.
Step 3: Lower the heat to medium. Fry 8 dried red chillies and 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns in the oil for 20–30 seconds until the chillies darken a shade and smell toasty; don't let them go black.
1 minStep 4: Add 3 cloves garlic, 1 tsp fresh ginger and 2 tbsp Sichuan preserved mustard greens (ya cai) and stir for 30 seconds, then toss the beans back through. Season with 1 tsp light soy sauce, ½ tsp sugar and ¼ tsp salt and stir-fry for 1 more minute until everything is dry and coated.
2 minStep 5: Serve hot or warm as part of a shared meal. Warn guests about the whole chillies; they're for flavour, not for eating.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 140 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 10 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sichuan dry-fried green beans take?
- About 20 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
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