Szechuan Green Beans

Remember those fresh, local green beans I was telling you about?  Here is another great way to prepare them.  These taste just like Chinese takeout, sweet, spicy, savoury and tangy.  Szechuan style green beans are full of flavour and so easy to prepare.


Szechuan Green Beans

Notes:  Have all your ingredients ready before you start cooking...it all happens so fast and it is easy to burn something if you are not paying attention.

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh green beans, washed, dried and trimmed
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced or grated
1 tablespoon green onion, white part only, finely chopped
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce, or Sriracha sauce, or hot sauce (something spicy)
1 tablspoon dark soy sauce (regular is fine - I used it this time - but dark is way better)
1 teaspoon sugar (I used cane sugar)
1-2 tablespoons peanut oil (or coconut oil, or any neutral oil)

In a non-stick pan or wok, heat a little oil over medium-high heat.  Add beans and fry for about 5 minutes until they start to shrivel and brown.  Remove beans and drain on paper towels. 

Here is where it goes quickly.  Add a little more oil to the hot pan.  Add garlic, ginger and scallions and fry, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.  Add chili sauce and fry stirring constantly for 30 seconds.  Add the beans, soy sauce and sugar to the pan and cook all together, stirring constantly for another minute or two, until everything is incorporated and heated through.

Serves 4