Sesame Garlic Green Beans
Blistered, crisp-tender green beans tossed in a glossy soy-garlic sauce and finished with toasted sesame oil and seeds. A fast, savory Chinese-style side that is ready in under 25 minutes.
- Prep
- 13 min
- Cook
- 11 min
- Total
- 24 min
- Makes
- 4 side-dish servings (about 3 cups)
Steps
Before you start
- Wash the green beans and dry them completely. Wet beans steam instead of blistering and can make the hot oil spatter.
- Have everything prepped and within reach before you turn on the heat. Stir-frying moves fast, and garlic burns in seconds.
- Use toasted (dark) sesame oil only as a finishing oil. Cook with the neutral oil, because toasted sesame oil burns at high heat.
- You need a lid that fits your pan for the short steaming step.
Trim and dry beans
- Snap or cut off the stem end of each green bean.
- Leave the thin tails on if you like.
- Cut any beans longer than 5 inches (13 cm) in half so the pieces are about the same size.
- Wash the beans, then spread them on a clean towel and pat them completely dry.
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Ready when: No visible water droplets remain on the beans.
Tip: Any water left on the beans will spatter in the hot oil and keep them from blistering.
Mix the sauce
- In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar, and water until the sugar dissolves.
- Set the bowl next to the stove.
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Ready when: No sugar granules are visible at the bottom of the bowl.
Prep the aromatics
- Mince the garlic finely.
- If using ginger, grate it.
- Put the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes together in a small pile or bowl by the stove so they can go into the pan at the same time.
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Ready when: Garlic pieces are about the size of grains of rice.
Tip: Mince the garlic fine but not to a paste. A paste burns almost instantly.
Blister the beans
- Heat a dry wok or large skillet over high heat for about 1 minute until it is very hot.
- Add the neutral oil and swirl to coat.
- When the oil shimmers, add the beans in a single layer as much as possible.
- Let them sit for 1 minute without moving, then stir and toss every 30 seconds for 4 more minutes total.
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Ready when: Beans are bright green with browned, slightly wrinkled blisters on the skin.
Tip: If your pan is smaller than 12 inches (30 cm), cook the beans in two batches. Crowding steams them and turns them dull and soft.
Add the garlic
- Reduce the heat to medium.
- Push the beans to the sides, add the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes to the center, and stir for 15 to 20 seconds.
- Then toss everything together.
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Ready when: The garlic smells fragrant and looks pale golden, not brown.
Tip: If the garlic starts to brown before 20 seconds, move straight to the next step.
Steam in the sauce
- Pour the sauce over the beans.
- It will bubble hard right away.
- Cover immediately and cook for 2 minutes.
- Lift the lid and test one bean by biting it.
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Ready when: A bean bends easily and has a tender bite with a slight snap in the center.
Tip: If the beans are still raw-tasting, re-cover and steam 30 to 60 seconds more.
Reduce the sauce
- Remove the lid and increase the heat to high.
- Toss the beans constantly for about 1 minute, until the liquid reduces to a thin, glossy glaze that coats the beans.
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Ready when: Only a spoonful of syrupy sauce is left, and a spatula dragged across the pan leaves a clear trail.
Finish and serve
- Turn off the heat.
- Drizzle the toasted sesame oil over the beans, sprinkle with the sesame seeds, and toss 3 or 4 times to coat.
- Transfer to a serving plate right away and serve hot.
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Ready when: Beans are glossy and smell nutty from the sesame.
Tip: Adding the sesame oil off the heat keeps its toasty aroma from burning off.
Good to know
Tips
- Dry beans and a very hot pan are the secret to blistered skin and crisp-tender texture.
- Don't stir for the first minute. Letting the beans sit gives them direct contact with the hot pan so they brown.
- Taste before serving. If you want it saltier, add a few drops of soy sauce rather than salt, and you can brighten the dish with a few drops of rice vinegar.
- To toast raw sesame seeds, stir them in a dry skillet over medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes until golden and fragrant.
Make ahead
"Trim, wash, and thoroughly dry the beans up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate in a container lined with a paper towel. Mix the sauce up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate it in a sealed jar. Mince the garlic and ginger the day you cook so they stay fresh."
Storage & reheating
"Room temperature: up to 1 hour. Refrigerator: store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Freezer: not recommended, as the beans turn limp. Reheat in a hot skillet over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, tossing often, or microwave in 30-second bursts. They will be softer than when freshly cooked."
Substitutions
- Shaoxing rice wine → dry sherry. Use the same amount. Mirin also works, but omit the sugar.
- fresh green beans → Chinese long beans or haricots verts. Cut long beans into 3-inch (7.5 cm) pieces. Haricots verts need about 1 minute less blistering time.
- light (regular) soy sauce → tamari. Use the same amount for a gluten-free dish. Use gluten-free rice wine or dry sherry too.
- neutral high-heat oil (such as peanut, canola, or avocado oil) → refined peanut oil. Gives a more traditional flavor. Avoid extra-virgin olive oil, which smokes at high heat.
