Blanched purple beans with aromatic ginger soy sauce 姜蓉豆角
Tender, delicate green beans seasoned with a simple and aromatic Cantonese soy sauce with ginger and sesame oil. A beautifully understated Chinese dish that works best as a cold appetizer or starter.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 5
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Blanch
- Cuisine: Chinese
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
Scale
- 10 ounces (280 grams) slender purple beans, yellow wax beans, or green beans, ends trimmed
- 1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons minced ginger
For the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing cooking wine, or water
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon MSG, or ½ teaspoon mushroom bouillon powder
- ½ teaspoon ground sand ginger (optional)*
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- Fresh red chile, thinly sliced, for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare a bowl of ice water. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add a generous amount of salt and drizzle in ½ tablespoon of the oil. Blanch the green beans for 50 to 60 seconds, until they turn a vivid color and are crisp-tender. Transfer immediately to the ice water to stop the cooking process and preserve color and crispness. Drain the beans well and pat dry with a clean towel. Arrange the beans in a neat stack on a serving dish. Trim with a sharp knife so that they’re the same length, and discard or eat the ends.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil until shimmering. Add the minced ginger and fry until fragrant and just beginning to brown, about 1-2 minutes. Reduce to low heat and add the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine or water, sugar, MSG, ground sand ginger powder, white pepper, and sesame oil. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for 1 minute until the sugar is fully dissolved.
- Pour the sauce on top of the green beans, so that the ginger stays on top and the sauce pools to the bottom. Garnish with a few threads of red chile before serving.
