Chinese Green Beans

Personally I don't like serving a meal to my family that doesn't have a vegetable with it.  Whether there are vegetables in the main dish or on the side I try to make sure that it is always included.  So the other day when I made my General Tso Chicken I tried to come up with a nice veggie dish to serve up along side.  One of my favorite dishes in Chinese restaurants in the States was a Dry-Fried Green bean so I thought I would give it a try and see if I could come up with something similar. It turned out to be an incredibly easy dish to prepare and equally delicious.

Dry-Sauteed Green Beans

500g (1 lb) green beans, haricots verts or Chinese longbeans

1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon ginger, chopped
2 scallions (spring onions, green onions), white parts only, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon chili paste

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Pepper to taste, optional
2 tablespoons peanut oil for stir-frying, or as needed

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Heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add the green beans and stir-fry until they start to shrivel or "pucker" and turn brown (6 to 7 minutes for longbeans).  

Remove the green beans from the wok and drain on paper towels.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the wok on high heat. Add the garlic, ginger and scallions. Stir-fry for a few seconds, then add the chili paste and stir-fry for a few more seconds until aromatic.  

Add the green beans and the dark soy sauce, sugar, salt, and pepper if using. Stir everything together, and taste and adjust the seasoning if desired.