This dish is based on Grace Young’s recipe in “Stir-Fry to the Sky’s Edge.” The green beans should stay crunchy. ”.
Stir frying is a quick and healthy cooking technique that infuses vegetables like green beans with smoky wok flavors. When stir fried over high heat green beans transform into a delicious side dish bursting with a perfect balance of tender-crisp texture and delicious taste.
This easy stir fry recipe elevates humble green beans into a restaurant-worthy dish using simple ingredients and basic cooking techniques. Read on to learn the secrets behind making irresistibly delicious stir fried green beans at home.
Benefits of Stir Frying Green Beans
Compared to other cooking methods stir frying has many advantages when preparing green beans
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Retains nutrients – The high heat and short cooking time preserves more vitamins and minerals versus boiling or stewing.
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Intensifies flavor – Stir frying concentrates the bright, fresh taste of the beans
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Adds texture – Stir frying makes the beans tender but still crisp, avoiding mushiness.
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Boosts umami – Browning the beans and aromatics naturally enhances savory umami flavors.
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Quick cooking – Stir frying green beans takes less than 10 minutes start to finish.
By stir frying, you get restaurant-quality green beans using minimal time and effort.
Shopping for Green Beans
Selecting fresh, high-quality green beans is key for successful stir fries. When buying green beans:
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Choose bright green, straight, and crisp beans without blemishes. Avoid limp or overly bendy beans.
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Pick similar-sized beans to ensure even cooking.
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Opt for slim beans no thicker than a pencil. Thick beans won’t cook evenly.
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Buy extras since green beans reduce in volume during stir frying.
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Look for snap beans, haricot vert, or Chinese long beans. All work great stir fried.
Getting prime fresh beans sets you up for stir fry success.
Prepping Green Beans for Stir Frying
Proper prep is vital to stir fry restaurant-worthy green beans:
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Wash beans thoroughly to remove any grit.
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Snap off stem ends. Leave whole or cut into 2-3 inch pieces.
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Pat very dry with towels or spin in a salad spinner. Excess moisture causes steaming versus sear.
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Have all ingredients prepped and ready for high-heat, quick cooking.
Taking a few minutes to prep ensures your stir fry comes together perfectly.
Choosing the Best Oil for Stir Frying
Picking the right cooking oil prevents sticking and allows high-temperature stir frying:
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Peanut oil – Ideal for stir fries with its high smoke point and nutty flavor.
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Vegetable or canola oil – Budget-friendly options suitable for stir fries.
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Sesame oil – Flavorful oil that can be used alone or blended with other oils. Adds an aromatic Asian essence.
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Corn, sunflower, soybean oil – Other neutral oils with high smoke points that work for stir frying.
Avoid olive and coconut oil which can burn or add heavy flavors.
Step-By-Step Instructions for Stir Frying Green Beans
Follow these simple steps for foolproof stir fried green beans:
1. Heat oil in wok over high heat
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Use a carbon steel or cast iron wok or large non-stick skillet.
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Swirl 2 Tbsp oil around pan and heat until shimmering.
2. Add aromatics and stir fry briefly
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Common aromatics include garlic, ginger, shallots, chilies.
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Stir fry for 30 seconds until fragrant.
3. Add green beans and stir fry 3-5 minutes
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Keep beans moving constantly.
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Add a splash of water or broth if beans start sticking.
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Cook until beans are browned in spots and still crisp.
4. Season beans and remove from heat
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Toss beans with desired sauces like soy, oyster, hoisin.
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Finish with salt, pepper, sesame oil to taste.
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Serve beans immediately while hot and crisp.
Following these easy steps results in quick, healthy stir fried green beans. The whole process takes less than 10 minutes.
Tips for Flavorful Stir Fried Green Beans
Don’t limit yourself to plain green beans. Liven them up with these tasty stir fry variations:
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Asian flavor – Add soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger. Garnish with sesame seeds.
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Spicy kick – Stir in sambal oelek or Sriracha and sliced Thai chilies.
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Sweet and tangy – Toss beans with hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, and honey. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts.
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Savory umami – Swirl in oyster sauce, toasted sesame oil, and chopped green onions.
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Mediterranean – Finish beans with lemon juice, parsley, minced garlic, and olive oil.
The possibilities are endless for customizing stir fried beans to suit your taste!
Complementary Veggie and Protein Add-Ins
Take your stir fry to the next level with tasty mix-ins:
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Bell peppers – Red, yellow, and orange peppers add pops of color.
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Mushrooms – Meaty shiitakes or criminis complement the green beans.
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Onions – Sliced red or yellow onions provide crunchy texture.
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Bok choy – Baby bok choy leaves add contrasting ruffles.
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Tofu – Cubed crispy tofu boosts nutrition and satisfaction.
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Shrimp – Succulent shrimp pairs perfectly with green beans.
Get creative with your veggie and protein stir fry additions!
Serving Suggestions for Delicious Meals
Enjoy your easy stir fried green beans in these tasty ways:
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As a side to Asian-flavored fish, chicken, or beef dishes
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Over rice noodles, soba noodles, or ramen
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Tossed with sesame-ginger dressing as a salad or lettuce wrap filling
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Topped with a fried egg for a quick protein-packed meal
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Wrapped in a tortilla with sriracha mayo for a handheld burrito
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Heaped on top of garlic bread or bruschetta for an easy appetizer
Take your stir fried green beans from boring to brilliant with creative serving ideas. This fast and healthy veggie stir fry is sure to become a regular go-to!
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If you follow the rest of the recipe, you need to boil the green beans for a lot longer. If you don’t, they won’t be cooked at all.
I never cook the string beans prior to stir frying. At first, I crush whole garlic cloves into the oil to make it taste better. I take them out before they burn. I stir-fry the beans with the rest of the ingredients for about 20 minutes. At the very end, I add the minced garlic for a burst of garlic flavor and to make sure it doesn’t burn. So good and only need one pan or wok. I also add slivered smoked roasted almonds at the very end.
The boiling step is called blanching. It fixes the chlorophyll so the greens (beans in this case) don’t turn so pale and brown when they’re cooked. This isnt a “cooking” step but its for appearance mostly. Same thing is done with peas or broccoli before stir-frying for the same reason.
I substituted a tablespoon of white wine for the rice wine/sherry. Otherwise, I followed the recipe exactly. Delicious! I took it to a potluck and everyone loved it.
I guess it depends on your taste and how fresh or mature the green beans are, but in general, I’d boil them for at least 5 minutes before continuing with the recipe. The first time I boiled the beans, they were still a little too raw for me.
I had asparagus instead of green beans. I cut it into 2-inch pieces (didn’t par boil first) and stir-fried it with 3 shallots cut into 1/2-inch discs, herbs, and other things. as noted in the recipe. I cleaned out the wok with two tablespoons of sherry and then added pressed tofu cubes that were cut into 1/2″ pieces. I stir-fried them with soy sauce and a little more minced garlic and ginger. I added about 1/3 cup roasted unsalted peanuts and quickly stir fried for 30 seconds. Served over white rice with a drizzle of roasted peanut oil.
It’s a great and easy recipe. I would follow it exactly, even though I think you should stir fry the beans for a little longer, maybe 5 minutes, then cover and turn off the heat and let them soften for another 5 or 6 minutes. Then they’re perfect! We also added sliced water chestnuts from a can to the stir fry, and it was a great combination.
Absolutely delicious! Loved how crispy crunchy the beans are!
So good. Even better with Japanese Sushi & Sashimi Soy Sauce. its much more subtle and less sharp than the Chinese soy sauce. No need to cook the beans, theyll cook as you stir fry.
Simple yummy and very crunchy! Loved the crunch, paired really well with hoisin marinated salmon. Only thing is i was missing something like… sticky, or a tiny bit more saucy. Will probably add a touch of hoisin or something next time!.
Hmm. This recipe gives a total recipe time of 10 minutes. Step 1: Bring a pot of water to a boil. I need to get whatever type of stove Martha has.
Toss in some toasted black sesame and fresh chives. Two boiled eggs or eggs sunny side up can round out the meal.
This became a full dinner by first sautéing the chicken in a pan, then adding a drizzle of maple syrup and a slurry of cornstarch (2 tsp plus 1/3 c water) at the end.
I blanched the green beans for three minutes and then put them right into an ice bath to stop the cooking. After following the recipe’s steps for the stir fry, I added some Zhenjiang vinegar and kosher salt at the end. Tasty!.
These are the exact ingredients I used in the recipe. I changed the way I cooked it to make it easier and to suit my tastes. Skipped the blanching step and instead threw the beans into a wok with 1 tbsp of veg oil. Spiced with s Added garlic and ginger, cook 30 secs, add soy/sherry, cook for 1 min until beans were crisp-tender. Perfect.
Fabulous recipe first time out! Quick and delicious. I used fish sauce instead of half of the soy sauce that was suggested and added some dark, sweet soy sauce to make it taste better. Will try with tofu next time to make it more of an entree.
Yum! Wild Ginger in Seattle serves amazing Sichuan green beans. I found this recipe achieved a very close approximation. Intentional modification: I par boiled snipped French beans for 3 minutes before an ice bath. That might be similar to 1 minute then the cold water rinse in the recipe. There’s a thin line between beans that don’t stick together and ones that are too soft! I made one mistake: I didn’t have any ginger, so I left that out. I didnt have the wine or sherry. Substituted 2tsp mirin 1tsp sake.
Not nearly enough sauce for a pound of green beans?
Delicious!!!! Easy, fast and healthy. Thank you
Didnt blanch, stir fried beans a few minutes then added liquids. Few more minutes then garlic, ginger and pepper flakes. I used sake instead of sherry and 1/8 tsp of Korean red pepper flakes because that’s what I had on hand. I did deglaze with just a tbsp of water at the end. We loved them especially being a bit crunchy.
Perfect recipe. The spiciness of the ginger is divine. Will be making again!
Add salt and mirin
Wonderful recipe. Made as written except boiled the beans a bit longer as my family prefers them a bit softer. After 4 minutes and an ice bath they still had good texture. Loved the flavor and will try this with other veggies too.
Add chopped Macadamia nut
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Chinese Garlic Green Beans (Chinese Restaurant Style)
FAQ
How to add flavor to green beans?
Do fresh green beans need to be soaked before cooking?
Do you have to blanch green beans before cooking?
How do you cook green beans in a frying pan?
Once the oil is hot, add the green beans and the ginger to the pan and stir them around so that they become coated with oil. Allow the green beans to cook for about 3 minutes, stirring them and keeping them in a single layer, preventing overlap as much as possible.
How do you cook green beans in a stir fry?
The beans should be tender and very vibrant in colour by now. Once all of the liquids have been evaporated, sautee for about 1 minute to lightly caramelise the beans. This will add depth and extra flavour to the beans. To serve, sprinkle the garlic green bean stir fry with reserved crispy fried garlic.
How to cook green beans in a wok?
Move the garlic around in the oil for about 5 seconds. Toss all the green beans into the wok and rapidly stir the vegetables with a spatula or wooden spoon. Stir-fry for 2 to 4 minutes, until the green beans are still crisp and barely raw in the center. To check the doneness, taste a green bean after 2 minutes into the cooking.
What are stir fried green beans?
These stir-fried green beans are gingery, garlicky, and spicy, and we couldn’t stop eating them straight from the pan. They come together with 9 simple ingredients in 20 minutes and are delicious paired with grains and protein for a satisfying, plant-based meal. Let us show you how it’s done!