Recipe: Spicy Szechuan Green Beans

Chinese food is famous worldwide because of its distinct flavour and simplicity. It is also loved because it takes little effort to modify the recipes, and one can get the taste of their choice. Aside from the tofu and dim sum, there are a lot of healthy dishes in this category that are celebrated right across the globe.

So today, we’re looking at one of our favourite Chinese recipes: spicy Szechuan green beans. It is perfect for people who want that extra kick and eat healthy at the same time. Even better, it can also be paired with potato, ham or kept as a side dish.

Finally, these green beans are very easy to make and super tasty as well. So, let’s dive in!

But First, What Does Szechuan Mean?

You might have come across this term from time to time, but have you ever wondered what it is?

Szechuan is a style or type of Chinese cooking that is oily, spicy, garlicky, and peppery. This cooking technique originated from the Sichuan province of China, and usually features main ingredients such as chillies, pepper, garlic, shallots, soy sauce, etc.

List of Ingredients

Now that you know what Szechuan means, let's start cooking up a storm. Get ready to enjoy vegetables in a whole new way.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need.

1. 220 grams of green beans, trimmed and cut into one-inch pieces
2. ¼ cup of water
3. 1 tablespoon of minced ginger
4. 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
5. 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar
6. ½ teaspoon of white sugar
7. ¼ teaspoon of Szechuan pepper
8. 2 cloves of garlic (minced or finely chopped)
9. 1 teaspoon of sesame oil (you can use any oil of your choice but remember that you won’t get the authentic taste we’re aiming for here.)

Method

To prepare your Szechuan spicy green beans, follow the steps below for best results:

1. Ensure that you have all the ingredients at hand before starting with the cooking process. The best way is to use our list above and check off each one.
2. Grab a skillet with a good amount of capacity; add water, and let it boil.
3. Once boiling, add the trimmed green beans and let them cook on medium-high heat. Make sure to cover the skillet with a lid and stir at intervals. It will take about 4-5 minutes for the beans to be tender-crisp.
4. Take a pan to make the sauce. Add sesame oil to the pan and let it heat for a while.
5. Once heated, add ginger and garlic and keep stirring until the garlic becomes light brown. It should take about 1-2 minutes.
6. Strain the beans and add them to the pan, stirring for about 1-2 minutes.
7. Mix soy sauce, rice vinegar, and flakes of red pepper in a small bowl and add it to the pan. Mix it with all the other ingredients and cook for about 3-5 minutes until the sauce thickens.

Note that you can directly cook the beans in the frying pan (as many do), but the taste of boiled beans gives a more tender result.

Who knew greens could be so exciting?