A fantastic method for preparing string beans that is even better than what is served in Chinese restaurants! Also tasty with broccoli or asparagus.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 5 mins |
| Total Time: | 20 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- ½ cup peanut oil for frying
- 1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 ½ teaspoons dark soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon white sugar
- 1 pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the peanut oil in a wok or skillet with high sides over medium-high heat until almost smoking; add the green beans. Quickly cook and stir the beans in the hot oil until they are bright green and starting to show brown spots, about 2 minutes. Remove the beans to a bowl. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of oil from the pan and return to heat. Cook and stir the ginger and garlic in the oil until they have started to brown, about 2 minutes. Return the green beans to the wok; add the dark soy sauce, sugar, and black pepper. Cook until hot; about 30 more seconds.
- We have determined the nutritional value of oil for frying based on a retention value of 10% after cooking. The exact amount will vary depending on cooking time and temperature, ingredient density, and the specific type of oil used.
Reviews
I can’t believe I’ve never reviewed this recipe. I’ve been making it for several years. It’s not only tasty but very easy and quick.
Super quick and easy. Plan to make again and will add red pepper flakes for heat (we like it spicy around here!).
Easy to make and the kids ate it! What more can I want.
Absolutely delicious!!! I’ve been trying to replicate the beans I get from a Chinese restaurant and well… they turned out even better! I followed the recipe almost exactly but I added a little bit of teriyaki sauce and used minced ginger in a tube. I didn’t have peanut oil so I used extra virgin olive oil. I did as the other reviews recommended and blanched the beans for about 5 minutes before putting them in the pan. I will definitely keep making these!
This recipe tastes virtually identical to the ones I had in Dongguan, China last year. So happy have found it!
This was a nice and easy recipe for when you need to make dinner in a hurry. However I thought the finished product would taste more like garlic and ginger, as I enjoy that flavor combination, but it didn’t . I think for me it was the combination of dark sesame oil and the peanut oil that threw it off for me.
This was delicious and flavorful. To make it healthier, I used only 2 T. of oil, and left out the sugar. Even the kids enjoyed this!
These are amazing! I didn’t have fresh ginger so I used ground, worked fine. Will definitely be making these again.
These beans were excellent; we loved them! Since I didn’t have fresh ginger, I used 1/2 teaspoon of powdered. Also didn’t have peanut oil, so I used coconut oil but not near as much as the recipe called for. It was actually a nice touch. You do have to fry them for a while to get to the crisp-tender stage. I put the cover on to help steam. Right before adding the beans back to the pan, I added about a tablespoon or so of peanut butter and a little bit more soy sauce. I think they would have been fine without, too. Will definitely make these again!
I would eat these every day. The family loves them and they are so easy to prepare. Used this recipe in my preschool class. Those kids loved using a wok and cooking!! And they ate every bean!
These were absolutely delicious!!
These were absolutely delicious!!
I thought the flavor of this was spot on. I tried it with very thin asparagus that I had on hand. As I didn’t want to fry it, I blanched the asparagus in water, then drained. I followed the remainder of the recipe. Easy and very delicious. Next time I will try the green beans!
My husband and son hated fresh green beans until I made these. So glad I tried it! Now they ask for these at least once a week.
These green beans had great flavor, but the cook time wasn’t quite long enough. I questioned rather I should blanch or steam the beans for about 2-3 minutes before adding to the wok. I should have followed my instincts and done so. I cooked the beans in the wok for 4-5 minutes with the first cooking and another 2 minutes with the second cooking. They were still pretty crunchy (raw kind of crunchy, not good cooked kind of crunchy). The flavor was wonderful and the cooking method was easy to follow, but I will par cook the beans when I make them again. I served these with ‘Take The Night Off Slower Cooker Pineapple Chicken’ and white rice. We enjoyed a delicious meal and I would make both recipes again.
These are tasty! I used frozen beans and light soy sauce, otherwise, kept the recipe the same. The green bean flavour comes out, as well as the spices. Yum!
These green beans were so good. I have three children who are very picky eaters and they all ate these. Wonderful and full of flavor!
Great recipe!
This was a quick and easy side dish. My boyfriend said he’s never tasted anything so good that was green. Great side for my asian themed dinner!
These were very good. Lots of flavor and a little heat from the ginger. I used frozen thin whole green beans, I didn’t cut them up. I used minced ginger from a jar and minced garlic from a jar and lots of fresh ground black pepper. I didn’t have peanut oil so I used vegetable and then at the end added a couple of drops of sesame oil for the nut flavor. Everyone liked this dish. Thanks for a great recipe!
These were excellent. I did make one change since I was cooking on my grill using a side burner. I steamed the beans for several minutes, then just used a small amount of oil to follow the rest of the steps. We really enjoyed these and I will make them again.