This Asian-Style Stir Fried Green Beans recipe from our friend Tina is fresh, tasty, easy to put together and totally delicious.
Article and recipe courtesy: Tina, Just Putzing Around the Kitchen
Guys, studying for the bar sucks. I’ve been at it in earnest for about a week now, and not only do I have unbelievable neck/back cricks from hunching over my notes all day, I’m starting to have dreams about the law. It’s not a fun time. Nobody should wake up in a panic over the rules of civil procedure.
With the 12-hours-a-day study regime I’ve put myself on, my eating habits have taken a serious dive. Rocky Road ice cream for breakfast, cold leftover Chinese for lunch, and cheese for dinner. Mmm, fats, carbs, and no vegetables. Brain food!
It's time for something healthy + delicious.
After a few days of chronic stomach unhappiness, I finally gave in and carved out some time to cook a semi-nutritious lunch for myself. Thanks to the 45-hour power outage we had last weekend our fridge is basically empty, but I managed to find a frozen green beans in the back of the freezer. Hello, Asian-style stir fry.
Stir Fried Green Beans are an absolute yes.
Growing up, I loved it when my mom made stir fried green beans for dinner. The slightly burnt, super garlicky, crunchy/soggy pieces at the bottom were my favorite — my dad and I would fight over those. These green beans don’t taste exactly like my mom’s, but are easy to make, tasty, and perfect in a pinch. Eaten with some brown rice, kimchi, and chunks of Asian roast pork (recipe forthcoming…maybe), they were just what I needed to face down the rest of my day holed up with my notes.
Love green beans? We do too. Try this recipe for Sautéed Green Beans with Mushrooms and Crispy Shallots next!
Asian-Style Stir Fried Green Beans
Ingredients
- 1 16 oz. bag frozen green beans thawed and drained (Obviously, 1 pound of fresh would be better. But if you’re short on time, the frozen stuff is great.)
- ¼ cup gluten free soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ tablespoon sesame oil
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the gf soy sauce, ½ tablespoon garlic, pepper flakes, and brown sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved and mixture is uniform.
- Add drained/dried green beans, and toss to coat in sauce.
- Heat sesame oil in a pan/wok on medium-high heat. When tiny bubbles start to form in the oil, add remaining minced garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Pour green beans/sauce into the heated, oiled pan. Using a spatula, spread green beans out in a more or less even layer in the pan. Cover, and let cook for about 3-5 minutes.
- Stir/toss green beans to avoid burning, then cover and cook for another 3-5 minutes, until your green beans get soft and you start seeing browned bits at the tips.
- Enjoy immediately, over a bowl of rice.
Notes
Nutrition
What to serve with these Stir Fried Green Beans:
Chinese-Style Whole Steamed Fish
Steamed fish is light and airy - and truly delicious. Plus, it turns out that steaming fish isn't difficult at all!
Momofuku Steamed Pork Buns
Try Tina's version of Momofuku's famous steamed pork buns! Make them gluten-free with GF hoisin sauce and Meg's Life Changing Gluten-Free Biscuits recipe.
Ming Tsai's 50/50 Rice
Ming Tsai shared his House Steamed Rice recipe, made with 50/50 Brown & White Rice. It's super easy & so delicious!
Tofu Stir Fry Noodles with Plum Sauce
Lisa Lin's Tofu Stir Fry Noodles with Plum Sauce are next-level delicious - the her plum sauce can be paired with almost anything, including green beans!
Jules says
Fresh beans are not necessarily better than frozen. If beans are being frozen right after harvest all the nutrients are still in the beans. For "fresh“ beans, however, you never know how long the transportation was how long they've already been in the supermarket before purchase. Same goes for every fruit or veg 🙂
K.C. Cornwell says
We agree!
Seol says
While all that is true about nutritional value of fresh vs frozen vegetables, the amount of oil splatter from frozen veg with ice on them vs dry on the outside fresh beans is worth trying to have fresh beans for this style of cooking.
Annett Smith says
How long should you boil fresh green beans before stir frying?
K.C. Cornwell says
If you're making fresh beans, steam them for about 5 minutes before stir frying.
E says
This person probably has a callus from wedgies 😂
Deana says
Winner. My husband doesn't like vegetables, especially green beans, but he ate them and said they were tasty. That's a 5 star rating!!
K.C. Cornwell says
So happy you + your family love the recipe!