Dried-fried green beans is one of my favorite side dishes to order in Sichuan restaurants. In contrast to crisp haricot verts or mushy microwaved diner-style beans, Sichuan-style green beans are blistered and well-cooked without being bland. With Sichuan peppercorns and dried chillis adding spice and smokiness to the flavor profile, this dish becomes positively addictive.

However, no matter how many times I tried to recreate the dish at home, I ended up either burning the green beans before they got cooked, or dumping some water in order to save the beans, the latter which defeats the purpose of dry-frying. For help, I finally emailed Kian from Red Cook. He said that his method is using a ton of oil and constantly stirring the beans to get them cooked without burning. Almost like deep-frying. No wonder the green beans in restaurants taste so good.

My good-enough-for-publishing recipe in this post can be considered vegetarian, depending on whether you consider dried shrimp meat. (Or maybe I'm just turning incredibly Chinese: "Oh, you don't eat meat? Don't worry...it's just chicken.") Some versions use minced pork in addition to dried shrimp, and some avoid both. For dried shrimp, make sure to get the kind that's bigger, pinkish, and more expensive, not the cheap itty bitty gray ones. 

Sichuan preserved vegetable (mustard root pickled in salt and chillis) can usually be found in Chinatown supermarkets, in either cans or individual packages. Just rinse in cold water and finely chop for this dish.

Some recipes I found also eschew the dried red chills and Sichuan peppercorn, but I find the extra spice adds a needed smoky dimension to the final dish. I also use a little chilli bean sauce at the end to add a bit of moisture back in, although soy sauce also works well.

And remember to dry your green beans well before cooking. Nothing ruins an appetite like spotchy painful burn marks on your arms from splattering oil.

Bonus Olympic Update: A friend went to a US vs. China basketball game and was able to photograph the Bushes in the stands. Test your politician ID skillz in this How Many World Leaders Do You Recognize? photo.  

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Sichuan Dried-Fried Green Beans

Serves 2 to 4 as part of a multi-course meal

3 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
1/2 pound green beans - rinsed, dried, and chopped to 2-inch lengths
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 pieces ginger, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Sichuan preserved vegetable (mustard root) - rinsed, shredded, and finely chopped
1/2 tablespoon dried shrimp, chopped
5 or 6 dried red chillis
1/2 tablespoon chilli bean sauce
1 to 2 drops sesame oii
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, or salt to taste

Heat oil in a wok until just beginning to smoke. Add green beans and stir-fry, keeping the beans constantly moving, for about 5 minutes, or until the outsides begin to blister and the beans are wilted. Remove and set aside to drain on kitchen towels.

Remove all but 1 tablespoon of oil. Add garlic, ginger, preserved vegetable, dried shrimp, and red chillis; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Return beans to the wok, and add chilli bean sauce and sesame oil. Add sugar and stir until well-combined. Salt to taste. Dish out onto serving plate and serve while hot.