Sichuan Pan-Fried Green Beans with Ground Pork

Tender, blanched green beans are pan-fried with an aromatic mix of garlic and ginger combined with ground pork. While the variation often served at restaurants deep-fries the green beans I opt to blanch and pan-fry them to keep them from taking the turn into extremely unhealthy. I first had this dish at Din Tai Fung in Shanghai and have been obsessed ever since.

This dish is typically served as an appetizer but I love serving it over steamed rice for an easy and complete dinner.

Sichuan Pan-fried Green Beans with Ground Pork

Key Ingredients in This Recipe

• Green beans – In my version of this dish, trimmed green beans are first blanched to retain their bright color. They are sautéed in a pan with a soy and sambal based sauce until tender.
• Pork – Ground pork typically comes from minced pork shoulder meat and is incredibly versatile. It can be swapped for another lean ground meat like turkey or chicken in this recipe.
• Sambal oelek – This Indonesian chili paste condiment is made with chilies, vinegar and other ingredients like garlic. I love the flavor and texture of this sauce. If you cannot find sambal I recommend substituting with sriracha.

How to Make Sichuan Style Green Beans

• Blanch the green beans. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the green beans and blanch until the green beans are tender and bright green, about 3 minutes. Drain the green beans in ice-cold water to stop the cooking process.
• Sauté the aromatics. Heat a wok or large sauté pan over medium heat, oil and heat through, add the garlic and ginger and sauté until fragrant, about 10 seconds.
• Cook the pork. Add the pork and allow to brown, breaking apart the pieces with a wooden spoon, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the meat to a medium bowl, leaving as much oil in the wok as possible. Set the meat aside and increase the heat to medium-high.
• Make the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, sambal oelek and sugar and set aside.
• Sauté the beans. Add the green beans and sauté until tender and slightly blistered about 2 minutes. Add the pork back to the pan along with the sauce, stir to combine and let cook for an additional minute. Sprinkle the sesame seeds over the top if using and remove from the heat.
• Assemble and serve. Add the green beans to a mixing bowl and serve immediately either as a side or with rice for an entrée.

Tips and Tricks for This Recipe

• For a vegetarian take on this dish omit the pork.
• For a gluten-free version opt to use tamari rather than soy sauce.
• If you are in a rush you can skip blanching the green beans and chop them into 2″ pieces for faster cooking.

Other Recipes to Try

• Spicy Sichuan Wontons with Chili Sauce
• Dan Dan Noodles with Bok Choy and Crunchy Chili Oil
• Juicy Pork and Chive Pan-Fried Dumplings

Sichuan Pan-fried Green Beans with Ground Pork

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Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 15 mins

Serves 4

US Customary – Metric

Ingredients:

• Kosher salt, as needed
• ½ pound frenched green beans
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground ginger
• ½ pound ground pork
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons sambal oelek
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Instructions:

• Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the green beans and blanch until the green beans are tender and bright green, about 3 minutes. Drain the green beans in ice-cold water to stop the cooking process.
• Heat a wok or large sauté pan over medium heat, oil and heat through, add the garlic and ginger and sauté until fragrant, about 10 seconds.
• Add the pork and allow to brown, breaking apart the pieces with a wooden spoon, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the meat to a medium bowl, leaving as much oil in the wok as possible. Set the meat aside and increase the heat to medium-high.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, sambal oelek and sugar and set aside.
• Add the green beans and sauté until tender and slightly blistered about 2 minutes. Add the pork back to the pan along with the sauce, stir to combine and let cook for an additional minute. Sprinkle the sesame seeds over the top if using and remove from the heat.
• Add the green beans to a mixing bowl and serve immediately either as a side or with rice for an entrée.

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