Sichuan Dry-Fried Green Beans with Mushrooms
Blistered, wrinkled green beans and browned mushrooms are tossed with salty preserved vegetable, garlic and toasted chili in a classic Sichuan dry-fry. It's intensely savory, a little smoky and fully vegan.
- Prep
- 18 min
- Cook
- 16 min
- Wait
- 10 min
- Total
- 44 min
- Makes
- 4 side servings (or 2–3 as a main with rice)
Steps
Before you start
- Beans must be bone dry before they hit hot oil, so wash them first; the 10-minute air-dry in step 1 is essential for safety and for blistering.
- Have every ingredient prepped and the sauce mixed before you light the burner. The cooking moves fast.
- Sichuan preserved vegetable (ya cai, also sold as Tianjin or Yibin preserved vegetable) is salty, so don't add extra salt until the end.
- Turn on your exhaust fan and keep a lid nearby in case oil spatters.
Dry the green beans
- Wash the green beans, trim the stem ends and snap into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces.
- Roll them in a clean kitchen towel and pat until no moisture remains on the surface, then spread them on a dry towel and let them air-dry for 10 minutes.
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Ready when: Beans feel completely dry to the touch with no visible water droplets
Tip: Wet beans cause dangerous oil spatter and give soggy, not wrinkled, skins.
Prep the flavorings
- Dice the mushrooms into ½-inch (1.25 cm) pieces.
- Rinse the preserved vegetable in cold water for a few seconds, squeeze it very dry and chop finely.
- Mince the garlic and ginger.
- In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and sugar.
- Set the chili flakes, ground Sichuan pepper and sesame oil next to the stove.
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Ready when: Everything is chopped, measured and within reach of the stove
Tip: You can do this while the beans air-dry.
Dry-sauté the mushrooms
- Heat the empty wok over medium-high heat for 1 minute.
- Add the diced mushrooms and spread them out.
- Cook, stirring every 30 seconds or so, for 4–5 minutes, until they release their liquid, the liquid evaporates and the edges are browned and shrunken to about half their size.
- Transfer to a bowl.
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Ready when: Pan is dry, mushrooms are deeply browned at the edges and noticeably shrunken
Tip: Don't salt the mushrooms; salt draws out more water and delays browning.
Dry-fry the beansOven 350°F / 175°C
- Wipe out the wok, add 4 tbsp (60 ml) oil and heat over medium-high until it shimmers and a bean sizzles steadily when dipped in (about 350°F/175°C).
- Add half the beans and fry, stirring every 30–45 seconds, for 4–5 minutes.
- Lift out with a slotted spoon onto a paper-towel-lined plate.
- Reheat the oil for 30 seconds and repeat with the remaining beans.
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Ready when: Skins are wrinkled and blistered with brown spots, and a bean bites tender with no raw crunch
Tip: Frying in two batches keeps the oil hot; crowding makes the beans steam and stay pale.
Fry the aromatics
- Carefully pour off all but about 1 tbsp (15 ml) of oil from the wok (save the rest for another use once cooled).
- Reduce the heat to medium.
- Add the preserved vegetable and ginger and stir for 30 seconds, then add the chili flakes and garlic and stir for 20–30 seconds more.
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Ready when: Garlic smells fragrant and is pale gold, and the oil turns red from the chili
Tip: Chili flakes and garlic scorch fast; lift the pan off the heat if they darken quickly.
Toss everything together
- Return the beans and mushrooms to the wok and turn the heat to high.
- Pour the sauce mixture around the edge of the wok and toss constantly for 1–2 minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed and the vegetables look glossy and coated.
- Taste and add a pinch of salt only if needed.
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Ready when: No liquid pools in the bottom of the wok and the beans are coated in dark, glossy bits of chili and preserved vegetable
Tip: The preserved vegetable is salty, so taste before adding any salt.
Finish and serve
- Remove the wok from the heat.
- Drizzle with the sesame oil, sprinkle with the ground Sichuan pepper if using, and toss once more.
- Transfer to a warm plate and serve right away with steamed rice.
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Ready when: Beans smell nutty, savory and lightly numbing
Tip: Add the sesame oil off the heat so its flavor stays fresh and doesn't turn bitter.
Good to know
Tips
- Look for wrinkled, slightly blistered skins, not just color. That texture is what holds the sauce.
- Choose slender, evenly sized beans so they cook at the same rate.
- Dry-sautéing the mushrooms first concentrates their flavor and keeps the final dish from turning watery.
- Reuse the leftover frying oil within a week: strain it and use it for another stir-fry.
Make ahead
"Fry the beans (step 4) up to 4 hours ahead and leave them at room temperature on the paper towels. Dry-sauté the mushrooms and mix the sauce at the same time, then finish steps 5–7 just before serving."
Storage & reheating
"Best eaten immediately, since the beans lose their blistered texture as they sit. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days. Reheat in a hot, dry skillet for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until hot. Room temperature leftovers are good within 2 hours; the dish does not freeze well because the beans turn limp."
Substitutions
- Sichuan preserved vegetable (ya cai) → Chopped Chinese pickled mustard stem (zha cai) or 1 tbsp extra soy sauce plus 1 tsp miso. Zha cai is the closest; the miso option adds saltiness and depth without the pickled tang.
- cremini mushrooms → Shiitake or king oyster mushrooms. Remove shiitake stems; both brown well and give a meatier texture.
- Shaoxing wine → Dry sherry or 1 tbsp water plus ½ tsp rice vinegar. Dry sherry is the closest flavor match; the water option keeps it alcohol-free.
- coarse Sichuan chili flakes → Crushed red pepper flakes. Use about 1½ tsp, as standard flakes are hotter and less fragrant than Sichuan flakes.
