Kids Will Be Kids – Sichuan Dry-Fried Green Beans

Kids are not easy, even when they’re no longer kids. My children, currently 19 and 21, are home from college because of the coronavirus pandemic. At times they have reverted to their former selves circa ages 6 and 8. They bicker and fight with each other in ways my wife and I thought were long gone.

In some aspects, even their eating habits haven’t changed since their youth. Take green beans, for example. I had to take special measures to get my daughter to eat them (and other vegetables) when she was little. As a young child, she would only eat raw green beans, a habit which has not changed to this day. Barely a cooked vegetable will pass her lips, french fries excluded. My son on the other hand, will eat a huge plate of raw carrots and cucumbers, but nary a raw green bean will enter his mouth; to this day, he will only eat them cooked.

In mid-summer when green beans are crisp and herbal, fresh-picked and overflowing from the garden, we eat a lot of them. I always have to serve them two ways. For my daughter they must be part of the plate of raw vegetables on the table at almost every meal. She puts one end of a green bean in her mouth and then bends it, breaking it, to fit the other end in. And then another and another and another, until her mouth is stuffed. And for my son I must cook them into submission, lest he not eat a single one.

Serving them raw, of course is no trouble; trim them, wash them, and put them on a plate. When I cook them, I need to find new and inventive dishes so we don’t get bored. Sautéed Green Beans with Fried Shallots is a favorite, and we often incorporate them in Thai curries or a Thai-style Stir Fry. In the last few years my son has taken a special liking to Sichuan Chinese food and one of his favorite dishes is Dry Fried Green Beans. I have searched for a good recipe, but they’ve always come up short. Not the right sear on the outside. Too saucy. The incorrect level of spice. However, recently I found a recipe at the Omnivore’s Cookbook, which met with my son’s approval.

Of course all is not as it was in the past when my kids were young. Their disagreements these days are sometimes highly intellectual debates on topics of great political and social importance, backed with evidence, citations, and well-developed arguments. And their culinary repertoire has expanded as I never expected. It makes me happy as a cook and lover of food that I can share meals with them that they never would have eaten in their youth. However, no matter how much they’ve grown and matured, from time to time, the fighting becomes as juvenile as it was 10 or 12 years ago, and I still always have to serve green beans both raw and cooked.

Sichuan Dry-Fried Green Beans

This recipe is modified from Sichuan Dry Fried Green Beans posted on the excellent Chinese cooking blog, Omnivore’s Cookbook. While this recipe calls for ground pork, you can use ground turkey, chicken, or beef, and I have made a perfectly delicious vegan version using one of the new ground meat substitutes. Shaoxing cooking wine, Sichuan preserved vegetable, Sichuan peppercorns, and dried chili peppers can be found at any Asian market.

half hour, serves 4

2 Tbsp. Shaoxing cooking wine

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 tsp. sugar

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil, divided

1 lb. fresh green beans, trimmed and well dried

4 oz. ground pork (or turkey, chicken, beef, or vegan meat substitute)

1 tsp. cornstarch

2 Tbsp. Sichuan preserved vegetable, finely chopped, or ¼ tsp. Better Than Bullion Roasted Chicken Base

½ tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. Sichuan peppercorns, finely ground

3 to 7 dried red chili peppers, some broken to make it spicier if you like

1 Tbsp. garlic, minced

1 tsp. ginger, minced

2 Tbsp. scallions, finely chopped

1. Mix the Shaoxing cooking wine, soy sauce, sugar, and bullion (if using) together in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Trim and dry the green beans. They must be fully dried in order to sear. Any remaining water will steam the beans, which is not what you want for this recipe.
3. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil to a wok or heavy skillet and heat on high. When the oil is hot and shimmering, add the green beans and immediately toss to coat them in the oil. Spread the green beans out in the wok or skillet so there is as much surface area in contact with the hot cooking surface as possible. Stir the green beans every 30 seconds or so for about 10 to 15 minutes. The beans should be charred black in spots and somewhat withered when done. Remove the green beans to a serving dish and set aside.
4. Mix the ground pork with the cornstarch in a small bowl.
5. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the wok or skillet and heat on high. Scatter in the ground pork and cornstarch mixture, along with the pickled vegetable (if using), salt, and ground Sichuan peppercorns. Cook until the pork is done, about 3 or 4 minutes, stirring and chopping the pork with a spoon to separate it into small pieces.
6. Add the dried chilies, garlic, ginger, and scallions, stirring for a minute or two longer until they are somewhat cooked.
7. Add the seared green beans and reserved sauce and cook for an additional minute or two until warmed through and the sauce has thickened slightly and coats the green beans.
8. Transfer to a serving dish and serve hot.

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