Szechuan Green Beans

By stancec44

The crunch is achieved by deep frying the beans before sautéing them.

Ingredients

• Peanut oil for deep frying
• 1 1/2 lbs. green beans, trimmed
• 3 Tbsp. water
• 2 tsp. cornstarch
• 1/4 c. oyster sauce
• 1/4 c. soy sauce
• 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. minced peeled fresh ginger
• 2 Tbsp. oriental sesame oil
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 dried crushed red pepper
• Chopped green onions (opt.)

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

Add enough peanut oil to heavy large pot to reach depth of 3". Heat oil over med-high heat to 375. Working in batches, fry green beans in hot oil until beginning to brown in spots, about 30 seconds per batch. Using slotted spoon, transfer beans to paper towl lined plate.

Mix 3 Tbsp. water and cornstarch in small bowl and set aside. (Note: add in batches, as you will probably NOT need all of the water/cornstarch mix.)

Whisk oyster sauce and next 6 ingredients in heavy large skillet. Bring to simmer over med-high heat. Whisk in (again, probably not all or not all at once, anyway) water/cornstarch mixture; continue whisking until sauce boils and begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Add beans and stir until crisp-tender and coated with sauce, about 2 minutes. Transfer to platter and sprinkle with green onions, if desired.