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Gānbiān sìjìdòu, dry-fried green beans
Gānbiān sìjìdòu are green beans dry-fried in a hot wok until their skins wrinkle and blister, then tossed with garlic, ginger, dried chillies and Sichuan pepper. Dry-frying is a Sichuan way of cooking slowly in a little oil until the food is dry, sweet and full of flavour.
- 25 minutes
- Prep 10 minutes
- Cook 15 minutes
- Serves 4
Our own recipe. The photograph is AI-generated.
Ingredients
- 500g fine green beans, trimmed and patted completely dry
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 6 mild dried red chillies, snipped in half, seeds shaken out
- 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns (huājiāo, a pink peppercorn that makes the lips tingle)
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 small piece fresh ginger (about 15g), finely chopped
- 2 spring onions, sliced
- 1 tablespoon tamari (a soy sauce made without wheat), labelled gluten free
- Half a teaspoon caster sugar
- A quarter teaspoon fine salt
Let's cook
- Make sure the beans are completely dry, or they will steam instead of blister.
- Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a wok or large frying pan on a medium high heat. Add the beans and cook, stirring and pressing them against the hot pan now and then, for 8 to 10 minutes until the skins are wrinkled, blistered and browned in patches and the beans are tender when bitten.
- Tip the beans onto a plate. Turn the heat down to low and add the last tablespoon of oil.
- Add the dried chillies and Sichuan peppercorns and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant and the chillies just darken. Take care not to burn them, or they turn bitter.
- Add the garlic, ginger and spring onions and stir for 30 seconds more.
- Return the beans, turn the heat up to high and add the tamari, sugar and salt. Toss for 1 minute until the beans are glossy and well coated. Serve hot. Leave the whole chillies on the side of the plate.
Tips
- Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 days and reheat them in a hot dry pan until piping hot.
- For extra savour, Chengdu cooks add a spoonful of yácài (preserved mustard greens, sold in packets in Chinese shops) with the garlic.
Swaps
- With pork, as it is often served: fry 100g minced pork in the oil until crisp and browned before adding the chillies.
- No fine beans: use runner beans, cut into 6cm lengths, and cook them for 2 minutes longer.
Tags
Contains: Soya .
Soya is in the tamari. Tamari is a soy sauce usually made without wheat, but check the bottle says gluten free. If you add yácài (preserved mustard greens), check its label too.
Check every packet for allergens.