Shanghai is the name of the Chinese restaurant where we first had these string beans. Life has taken us farther away from this favorite place of ours, but we still make that 106 mile trip to satisfy our craving. Sometimes that’s not an option for us, so I came up with a recipe that does the original justice. Charring the beans in a very hot pan is the key to this recipe, too bad we can’t all have super fire powered woks in our kitchens.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Fresh String Beans
- 6 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 6 scallions chopped
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 4 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp Schichimi Togarashi or 1 tsp chili flakes
- 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
- Salt
- Oil
Preparation
Step 1 – Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and drop in the string beans; cook for 8 minutes, drain and set aside.
Step 2 – heat 1 tbsp oil in a large pan until very hot, add in the green beans and stir fry until slightly blistered and charred, remove from heat and transfer to a separate dish.
Step 3 – add 1 tsp oil to the same pan add the scallions and saute until golden, stir in the garlic and cook about 3 – 4 minutes; return the reserved string beans to the pan and mix well with the garlic and scallions; add the soy sauce, mirin, rice vinegar, sesame oil, white pepper and stir to coat the beans with the sauce; taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Step 4 – transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle generously with Shichimi Togarashi or chili flakes and serve with steamed rice.
I have made a meal out of this many times, it is one of my family’s favorite veggie recipes. I hope you enjoy!
-Mia
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