Blistered Chinese Long Beans with Garlic, Ginger, and Sesame
A quick, high-heat stir-fry that turns a basket of yardlong beans into a 15-minute side. The beans blister in a hot pan and soak up a simple garlic-ginger-sesame sauce.
Servings: 4
Calories: 146kcal
Ingredients
- 1 lb long beans cut into 3-inch pieces and patted dry
- 2 tbsp high-smoke-point oil avocado, peanut, or canola
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp fresh ginger minced
- 1½ tbsp soy sauce
- ½ tsp sugar
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Cut the beans into 3-inch pieces and pat them dry so they don't spit in the oil.
- Heat two tablespoons of oil until hot, then add the beans. Let them sit without stirring for a couple of minutes so they blister and brown in spots. Stir and allow the other sides to blister.
- Reduce the heat. Add the garlic and ginger and toss just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the soy sauce, sugar, and toasted sesame oil. Toss to coat, then turn off the heat right away so the sesame oil doesn't burn.
- Remove the beans from the skillet and toss the sesame seeds into it. Let them toast a little in the still-hot pan. Top the beans with the toasted sesame seeds.
Notes
- Dry the beans. Any water left on them will pop and spit in the hot oil.
- Don't skip the blister step. A minute or two of stillness in the hot pan is what gives them their toasty flavor and helps them hold the sauce.
- Toasted sesame oil is a finishing oil. Add it at the end and pull the pan off the heat, or it turns bitter.
- Don't steam these like green beans. They go bland and mealy. High, fast heat is what makes them good.
- No yardlong beans? Regular green beans work, but cook them a little less since they hold more water.
Nutrition
Calories: 146kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Sodium: 382mg | Potassium: 310mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 981IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 1mg
