I lived in China for four years, and while I don’t particularly like most Chinese foods there are still a few dishes I absolutely love. I would eat these garlic pork string beans at least once a week. They are the perfect side dish, or even a meal if you really want. In Chinese they are called 干煸四季豆 (Gan Bian Si Ji Dou or Gan Bian Dou Jiao) which just means stir fried string beans. I’ve always gotten them with thinly sliced garlic and minced pork, which is what this recipe is for.
The preparation for this stir fried sting beans recipe is easy since you can leave out the pork if you don’t want it (vegetarian). If you do use pork you can buy already minced meat or just finely mince it yourself like I did with a chef’s knife. The beans just need to be washed and dried, and the garlic thinly sliced. I believe this dish to come from Sichuan province, but I could be mistaken. I don’t like Sichuan peppercorns, but you can add them instead of the red chili flakes if you prefer.
It’s important to use thinly sliced garlic as opposed to minced garlic because the latter will burn. The thinly sliced garlic will end up caramelizing in the stir fry and get crispy and flavorful.
In a pan or a wok add some neutral oil like peanut or sunflower and put the heat on max. If you want it a bit spicy you can add some chili flakes to the oil. When the oil is hot I add all the ingredients at once. This dish only takes a few minutes in the pan so after I add everything I stir fry the pan making sure the meat and garlic are cooking, and the string beans blister.
Once the string beans blister a bit you are finished. You can cook them more if you want to, but I stop once they start to blister so there is still a bit of crunch. Traditionally they do cook them more than me, but that’s personal preference.
Chinese Fried Garlic Pork String Beans (干煸四季豆 )
Equipment
- pan or wok
Ingredients
- 400 grams String Beans washed
- 60 grams Pork minced
- 8 cloves Garlic thinly sliced
- 2 tsp Red Chili Flakes/Sichuan Peppercorns optional
- 1/4 cup Oil peanut or sunflower, enough to coat the bottom of the pan, but not enough to deep fry.
Instructions
- Add the oil to a pan or wok and turn the heat on max. Add some chili flakes if you want to make it spicy.
- When the oil is hot add the beans, pork, and garlic and stir fry.
- Once the beans begin to blister you are done. You can cook it longer if you want the beans more fried, but it's up to you. Plate and enjoy.
Notes
Chinese Fried Garlic Pork String Beans (干煸四季豆 )
Also, if you are interested in the little tapas plate featured in this picture, it is from the amazing Granada artist Mariam López. All of her works are inspired by the technique and styling of the decorations of the Nasrid Palace in The Alhambra. You can follow her on Instagram or go to her shop, Nua Barcelona to purchase her wares.
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