Sichuan Dry Fried String Beans

Sichuan Dry Fried String Beans

from thewoksoflife.com
40 min
4 servings

Sichuan Dry Fried String Beans (or Gan Bian Si Ji Dou, 干煸四季豆) are cooked in China using Sichuan peppercorns with a little heat from the addition of dried chili peppers and ground pork

Ingredients

  • 1 pound string beans ((450g))
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns
  • 1 teaspoon ginger ((minced))
  • 3 cloves garlic ((minced))
  • 3 dried red chilies ((deseeded and chopped, optional))
  • 4 ounces ground pork or chicken ((113g))
  • 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
  • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
  • ¼ teaspoon dark soy sauce ((optional, mostly for color))
  • ¼ teaspoon sugar
  • Salt ((to taste))

Directions

  1. 1

    Trim the tough ends off the string beans, and then cut them in half (each piece should be about 3 inches long). Wash them and pat them thoroughly dry with a kitchen towel to get rid of any water.

  2. 2

    Heat ¼ cup of oil in a wok over medium high heat, and shallow fry the string beans in two batches. They are done once they appear wrinkled and slightly scorched. Use a strainer to remove the string beans from the wok and set aside.

  3. 3

    Once all the string beans are shallow fried, turn off the heat. Scoop the oil out of the pan, except for 1 tablespoon. Turn the heat down to low, and add in the Sichuan peppercorns, ginger, garlic and dried chilies (if using). Stir-fry for about 1 minute, until fragrant.

  4. 4

    Next, add in the ground pork, turn up the heat to high, and stir-fry quickly to break up the pork and brown the meat slightly. Add in the fried string beans, Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and sugar. Toss everything well, and season with salt to taste. Stir-fry everything over high heat until any excess liquid has cooked off, and serve!