Dry-Fried Green Beans

Method

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1. Dry the beans completely on a cloth — any water will make the oil spit and stop them blistering.

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2. Heat 3 tbsp of the oil in a wok until it shimmers and add the beans in one layer.

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3. Fry over medium-high heat 7 minutes, turning occasionally, until the skins are wrinkled, blistered and browned in patches. Lift them out.

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4. Add the last tablespoon of oil and fry the pork hard 3 minutes, breaking it up, until browned and slightly crisp.

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5. Add the ya cai, dried chillies and Sichuan peppercorns and fry 1 minute.

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6. Add the garlic and ginger for 20 seconds.

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7. Return the beans, add the soy sauce, wine, sugar and salt and toss hard 1 minute.

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8. Finish with the sesame oil and spring onions and serve at once.

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Chef’s Tips

• Bone dry beans, or they steam instead of blistering.
• Seven minutes of frying. Two minutes is not dry-frying.
• Ya cai is not optional. It is the savoury depth.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• Out of spring onions? A small regular onion, finely sliced, or a few chives stirred in at the end both cover the job.
• A pinch of dried chilli flakes works in place of fresh chilli — start with about a third of the quantity the red chillies in the list implies, since dried chilli is more concentrated, and add more to taste.
• A quarter-teaspoon of ground ginger per tablespoon of fresh is the standard ratio if you are working from the spice rack rather than a fresh root.

Pairing Suggestions

• Steamed rice
• Mapo tofu
• A cold beer

Storage & Reheating

Refrigerated for 2 days. Reheat in a hot wok, never a microwave.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.