Blistered Dry-Fried Green Beans with Shiitake and Chili

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The restaurant classic, done in a skillet instead of a deep fryer. Green beans are pan-blistered until wrinkled and sweet, then tossed with meaty shiitake crumbles, tingly Sichuan peppercorn, garlic, ginger and salty preserved mustard greens. Deeply savory, faintly numbing, and it disappears off the plate faster than the rice cooks.

Ingredients

• 1 lb green beans, trimmed and cut into 3-inch lengths
• 6 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and finely chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• 3 whole scallions, thinly sliced, whites and greens separated
• 3 tbsp sui mi ya cai (Sichuan preserved mustard greens), rinsed and squeezed dry

• 3 tbsp neutral oil, such as peanut or grapeseed
• 6 whole dried red chiles, snipped in half, seeds shaken out
• 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns

• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp Chinkiang black vinegar
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

Instructions

1. Wash the green beans well ahead of time and dry them completely on a towel — any surface water will steam instead of blister and can spatter. In a small bowl, stir together the Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, black vinegar, sugar and salt; set the sauce near the stove.
2. Toast the Sichuan peppercorns in a dry 12-inch skillet or wok over medium heat for 60 to 90 seconds, until fragrant and just smoking at the edges. Tip them onto a cutting board, let cool 1 minute, then coarsely crush with the flat of a knife or the bottom of a mug.
3. Return the skillet to high heat and add 2 tablespoons of the oil. When it shimmers, add the green beans in a single layer and let them sit undisturbed for 2 minutes. Stir once, then continue cooking 6 to 8 minutes total, tossing every 1 to 2 minutes, until the beans are wrinkled, blistered with dark brown spots, and pliable when bent. Transfer to a plate.
4. Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add the chopped shiitakes and a pinch of salt and cook, pressing them against the pan, for 5 to 6 minutes, until they have released their liquid, browned, and look like crumbles.
5. Push the mushrooms to one side and add the dried chiles, garlic, ginger and scallion whites to the cleared space. Stir-fry for 45 seconds, until the garlic smells sweet and the chiles darken a shade — do not let them blacken.
6. Add the preserved mustard greens and the crushed Sichuan peppercorns and stir-fry 1 minute more, mixing everything together.
7. Return the green beans to the pan, pour the sauce down the side of the hot skillet, and toss constantly for 60 to 90 seconds until the liquid has cooked away and every bean is glossy and coated.
8. Kill the heat, drizzle with the sesame oil, scatter the scallion greens over the top, and toss twice. Serve immediately with steamed rice.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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