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AI-generated photograph: A tangle of blistered, wrinkled dark green beans with browned patches in a small black carbon steel wok pan, flecked with red chilli pieces, garlic slices and spring onion, seen from directly above

Home · Recipes · Gānbiān sìjìdòu, dry-fried green beans

Sichuan · Sides

Gānbiān sìjìdòu, dry-fried green beans

blistered green beans · garlic · Sichuan pepper

AI-generated photograph

Gānbiān sìjìdòu are green beans dry-fried in a hot wok until their skins wrinkle and blister, then tossed with garlic, ginger, dried chillies and Sichuan pepper. Dry-frying is a Sichuan way of cooking slowly in a little oil until the food is dry, sweet and full of flavour.

Contains: soya, as written. Soya is in the tamari. Tamari is a soy sauce usually made without wheat, but check the bottle says gluten free. If you add yácài (preserved mustard greens), check its label too.

Ingredients

  • 500g fine green beans, trimmed and patted completely dry
  • 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 6 mild dried red chillies, snipped in half, seeds shaken out
  • 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns (huājiāo, a pink peppercorn that makes the lips tingle)
  • 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 small piece fresh ginger (about 15g), finely chopped
  • 2 spring onions, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon tamari (a soy sauce made without wheat), labelled gluten free
  • Half a teaspoon caster sugar
  • A quarter teaspoon fine salt

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Let's cook

  1. Make sure the beans are completely dry, or they will steam instead of blister.
  2. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a wok or large frying pan on a medium high heat. Add the beans and cook, stirring and pressing them against the hot pan now and then, for 8 to 10 minutes until the skins are wrinkled, blistered and browned in patches and the beans are tender when bitten.
  3. Tip the beans onto a plate. Turn the heat down to low and add the last tablespoon of oil.
  4. Add the dried chillies and Sichuan peppercorns and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant and the chillies just darken. Take care not to burn them, or they turn bitter.
  5. Add the garlic, ginger and spring onions and stir for 30 seconds more.
  6. Return the beans, turn the heat up to high and add the tamari, sugar and salt. Toss for 1 minute until the beans are glossy and well coated. Serve hot. Leave the whole chillies on the side of the plate.

Tips

  • Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 days and reheat them in a hot dry pan until piping hot.
  • For extra savour, Chengdu cooks add a spoonful of yácài (preserved mustard greens, sold in packets in Chinese shops) with the garlic.

Swaps

  • With pork, as it is often served: fry 100g minced pork in the oil until crisp and browned before adding the chillies.
  • No fine beans: use runner beans, cut into 6cm lengths, and cook them for 2 minutes longer.

Our own recipe. The photograph is AI-generated.

From the same kitchen

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