Dry-fried string beans, Sichuan style
When looking at this picture, you might easily think this is one of my culinary mistakes; and the post is going to be a long lament on the failure of this dish. But no! These are fried string beans Sichuan style, simmered until they reach this crispy and dry texture, with an amazing palette of flavours. First, get yourself some ingredients from the Asian supermarket: dried shrimps; tinned Sichuan preserved vegetable; a piece of ginger, garlic, sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil.
Start with putting a handful of dried shrimps in a bowl with water that you have just boiled, and soak for about 30 minutes. Take about 300 grams of spring beans and clean them, snap them in two when they are too long. Put 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok on quite a high fire and stir-fry the beans for about 2 minutes until browning in places and shriveling a little bit. Turn down the fire and keep frying and stirring them on a lower heat for 6 minutes or so. Take out. Drain the shrimps and cut them very finely. Take about a ping pong ball of zhacai or Sichuan preserved vegetable and cut as fine as the shrimp. Take 2 cms of ginger and 2 cloves of garlic and mash very fine, too. Then, in some new oil, fry shrimp with ginger, then add preserved vegetable and garlic; then add 1 or 2 tablespoons of sugar and a splash of sesame oil, add some soy too.
Return the beans to the pan and let dry-cook for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The fishy sweet gingery flavors will be absorbed in the beans and their texture is very interesting! I truly loved this dish and will make it often! By the way, I tried to cook the twice-cooked pork I blogged about a week ago, and the result was great! This was mainly because I finally just asked the butcher for a different cut of pork then they usually sell, and this turned out the be the key to the right look and feel (and taste!) of the dish.
Start with putting a handful of dried shrimps in a bowl with water that you have just boiled, and soak for about 30 minutes. Take about 300 grams of spring beans and clean them, snap them in two when they are too long. Put 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok on quite a high fire and stir-fry the beans for about 2 minutes until browning in places and shriveling a little bit. Turn down the fire and keep frying and stirring them on a lower heat for 6 minutes or so. Take out. Drain the shrimps and cut them very finely. Take about a ping pong ball of zhacai or Sichuan preserved vegetable and cut as fine as the shrimp. Take 2 cms of ginger and 2 cloves of garlic and mash very fine, too. Then, in some new oil, fry shrimp with ginger, then add preserved vegetable and garlic; then add 1 or 2 tablespoons of sugar and a splash of sesame oil, add some soy too.
Return the beans to the pan and let dry-cook for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The fishy sweet gingery flavors will be absorbed in the beans and their texture is very interesting! I truly loved this dish and will make it often! By the way, I tried to cook the twice-cooked pork I blogged about a week ago, and the result was great! This was mainly because I finally just asked the butcher for a different cut of pork then they usually sell, and this turned out the be the key to the right look and feel (and taste!) of the dish.
Labels: chinese, Sichuan, string beans
5 Comments:
I make this dish quite often myself. I usually don't add dried shrimp, but do add some Sichuan pepper.
Sichuan pepper: my favorite!
What kind of oil do you use for frying? I am new to Chinese cooking and, being Italian, I only know olive oil, which is probably not appropriate here....
You can use either sunflower oil, or any vegetable oil, or use peanut oil like they do in China. Olive oil can't be heated hot enough for Chinese stir-frying.
Your string beans look great! Just like in the restaurants. I'm always afraid of the dry-frying though because of all that oil.
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