Sichuan Dry-Fried Green Beans

Ingredients

• 500 g green beans, topped and tailed
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 tsp sichuan peppercorns
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp white sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 3 spring onion, thinly sliced

Method

1. 1.

   Dry the beans, toast the pepper — Top and tail the green beans and dry them thoroughly on a clean towel — any surface water will make the hot oil spit and steam the beans instead of blistering them. Toast the sichuan peppercorns in a dry wok for a minute until fragrant, then crush them coarsely.

2. 2.

   Blister the beans in hot oil — Heat the vegetable oil in a wok over high heat until it shimmers, add the beans in a single layer and fry for about 10 minutes, stirring only every couple of minutes, until the skins wrinkle, blister and take on dark brown patches.

3. 3.

   Pour off the oil — Lift the beans out onto kitchen paper and pour off all but about a tablespoon of the oil, then set the wok back over medium heat.

4. 4.

   Fry the aromatics — Add the garlic, ginger, chilli flakes and crushed sichuan peppercorns and stir for 30 seconds, just until they smell fragrant. Do not let the garlic go past pale gold or it will turn bitter.

5. 5.

   Toss with the seasoning — Return the beans to the wok, add the soy sauce, sugar and salt, and toss over high heat for a minute until every bean is glossy and no liquid is left in the pan.

6. 6.

   Finish with sesame oil — Take the wok off the heat, stir through the sesame oil and the sliced spring onion, and serve at once while the beans still have bite.