The unique quality about this dish is that the green beans are flash fried. This quickly blisters a thin layer of the skin, causing it to wrinkle. You only need to fry the beans for 1 to 2 minutes, which will keep the center tender and lightly crisp. When you bite into the green beans, you can taste the blistered skin and tender center in every bite. It’s so delicious!
COOKING NOTES FOR GARLIC GREEN BEANS
PREPARATION FOR FLASH FRYING GREEN BEANS
After you wash the green beans, make sure to dry them thoroughly. You don’t want the beans to be wet because you’ll be dropping the beans into hot oil. Any water going into hot oil will cause the oil to splatter violently. Usually, I spin the green beans in a salad spinner and spread the beans over a towel to air dry for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
TIPS FOR FRYING GREEN BEANS
I like to fry the green beans inside a smaller narrow-bottomed wok because I don’t need to use as much oil for frying. For this recipe, I used about 1/2 cup safflower oil. If you don’t have a small wok, a small saucepan works, too. Just use tongs to remove the beans from the saucepan. To see if the oil is hot enough for frying, I usually stick bamboo chopsticks into the wok so that the tips of the chopsticks are touching the bottom. If you see tiny bubbles rapidly forming around the chopsticks, it means that the oil is hot enough. This is a trick I learned from Mama Lin! These green beans only need 1 or 2 minutes of frying, until the skins start to wrinkle. You don’t want to fry them for too long because the beans will lose the crisp in the center and turn mushy.
WHAT TO DO WITH LEFTOVER FRYING OIL
You can reuse leftover frying oil. Right after I fry the green beans, I carefully pour the frying oil into a bowl to cool. If you’d rather not handle hot oil, let the oil cool in the wok completely before the next step. Once the oil has cooled completely, strain the oil through a fine mesh to extract any burnt bits in the oil. Transfer the strained oil to a jar and store in a cool, dark place. I try to use the oil in a few weeks. If you can’t use it up, throw the oil away inside the jar or a tightly sealed container. DO NOT pour oil into the sink, as it is not good for the environment and it might damage your pipes. Check out this post from Bon Appétit for more information on storing and using leftover frying oil.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH GREEN BEANS
Jasmine Rice Pork & Cabbage Potstickers Egg Fried Rice Pineapple Fried Rice Chicken Chow Mein
