Sichuan Dry-Fried Green Beans with Minced Pork

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Blistered, wrinkled green beans tossed in a smoky wok sauce with crumbled pork, toasted Sichuan peppercorn and dried chiles. The beans are shallow-fried until they collapse and sweeten, then dry-fried with aromatics so every bite tastes concentrated instead of watery. A quick pan of toasted sesame cauliflower rice soaks up the chili oil and turns it into a full dinner with almost no carbs.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb green beans, trimmed and patted very dry
• 1/4 cup avocado oil
• 8 oz ground pork
• 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
• 5 dried red chiles, halved and seeds shaken out
• 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• 3 scallions, white and green parts separated, thinly sliced

• 2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 2 tsp unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1 tsp granulated monk fruit sweetener
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

• 1 lb riced cauliflower
• 1 tbsp avocado oil
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Stir the tamari, Shaoxing wine, rice vinegar, monk fruit sweetener, sesame oil and 1/2 tsp salt together in a small bowl and set it next to the stove. Have all the aromatics prepped and within reach — once the wok is hot the cooking goes fast.
2. Make sure the green beans are bone dry; any surface water will spit in the oil. Heat 1/4 cup avocado oil in a 14-inch wok or wide skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, about 2 minutes.
3. Add half the green beans in a single layer and shallow-fry, stirring only every 45 seconds or so, for 6 to 8 minutes, until the skins are blistered, wrinkled and browned in patches and the beans have gone limp. Lift them out with a spider or tongs to a plate and repeat with the second batch, 6 to 8 minutes more.
4. Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of oil from the wok, keeping the heat at medium-high. Add the ground pork and press it flat; let it brown undisturbed for 2 minutes, then break it into small crumbles and cook 3 to 4 minutes more until the edges are crisp and no pink remains.
5. Lower the heat to medium. Push the pork to one side and add the Sichuan peppercorns and dried chiles to the fat; toast for 30 to 45 seconds, just until fragrant and the chiles darken a shade — do not let them blacken or they will turn bitter.
6. Add the garlic, ginger and scallion whites and stir-fry for 45 seconds, until the garlic is pale gold.
7. Return the green beans to the wok, raise the heat to high, and pour the sauce down the side of the pan. Toss constantly for 2 to 3 minutes until the liquid has cooked away and the beans are glossy and coated with pork and chili oil. Kill the heat, stir in the scallion greens, and let it sit while you cook the cauliflower rice.
8. Wipe out a large nonstick skillet and heat 1 tablespoon avocado oil over medium-high. Add the riced cauliflower and 1/2 tsp salt and cook, stirring every minute, for 5 to 6 minutes until the moisture has evaporated and some grains are toasted golden. Stir in the sesame seeds.
9. Spoon the cauliflower rice onto plates and pile the dry-fried green beans and pork on top, scraping any chili oil from the wok over the finished dish. Serve immediately, while the beans still have their chewy blistered edges.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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