The Hirshon Sichuan Dry-Fried Green Beans – 干煸豆角

乾煸四季豆 is a Sichuanese dish, whereby green beans are fried once to cook them through, then drained and fried again with flavorings such as garlic, ginger, chilis, and minced pork.

The initial frying step softens the beans in a way that’s completely different from the result that boiling or steaming would produce — like competently-prepared french fries, 乾煸四季豆 isn’t overly greasy when executed well, despite the double frying.

The 乾煸 cooking style translates as “extreme-heat stir-fry”, with the main ingredient cooked “to the point of dehydration” whereby its flavor is strongly intensified. 乾煸四季豆 is not a dish for those who hate green beans — the flavor of the beans should be apparent even through the chilis and other strong flavorings.

Originally made with a green bean-like vegetable called “snake bean” or “yard-long bean”, outside of China it is usually made with the Western-style green bean.

Combining beans with minced pork, this classic Sichuanese dish uses pickled mustard greens called “ya cai” to add an amazingly tangy crunch to the recipe.

Ya cai is a Sichuanese pickle made from the stems of a variety of mustard green. It is sun-dried, rubbed in salt and mixed with spices and sometimes sugar. It is dark brown and sold in packets or jars at selected Asian food shops. If unavailable, you can substitute other pickled mustard greens or pickled radish. If you are left with no other choice, use a tangy cucumber pickle.

My recipe uses a classic alternative to the dry-fry technique – deep-frying. The seasonings I use are classic as well. Citizens, this is a wonderful dish that I hope you will try for yourselves! You can buy the needed ya cai from here.

Battle on – The Generalissimo