In her book San Antonio Cooks: Favorite Recipes from Local Chefs and Restaurants, food writer Julia Celeste Rosenfeld shares recipes sourced from the Texan city’s most popular eateries. This one is from Sichuan House, a popular Chinese eatery and takeout spot who’ve long had this side on their menu – but adapted it for the home cook. “Generally, these beans are flash fried before they’re finished in the wok to speed up the process. Designed for home cooks, this lighter version has the beans roasted first,” Rosenfeld explains. “The flavour and texture remain the same, and the bonus is a healthier meal.”

Sichuan Green Beans

Sichuan House in San Antonio share their recipe for spicy green beans served with crispy ginger and scallions.

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Course Side Dish

Cuisine Chinese, Sichuanese

Servings 2

Ingredients

1 lb green beans ends trimmed
½ tbsp + ½ tsp neutral oil such as soybean oil divided
1 tsp finely chopped ginger
2 tsp chopped scallions
2 tsp preserved mustard greens preferably Sichuan Yibin, rinsed well
1 clove garlic minced
pinch of sugar to taste
pinch of salt if needed
Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry

Instructions

Preheat oven to 475°F.
In a small bowl, toss beans in ½ tbsp oil. Transfer to a baking sheet. Spread out in a single layer and roast for 5 to 10 minutes, until crisp-tender.
Place ginger, scallions, mustard greens and garlic in a wok and quickly stir-fry on medium-high heat for 20 seconds. Add beans and the remaining ½ tsp oil and toss well. Season with sugar and salt and sauté for another 25 seconds. Remove from heat and stir-fry for 5 seconds. Add a splash of wine (or sherry) and toss again.
Transfer to a serving plate and serve immediately.