Asian Stir Fried Green Beans

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These Asian Stir Fried Green Beans are sure to be a hit with the whole family!

Asian Stir Fried Green Beans

I posted this pic on Instagram a couple of weeks ago of green beans from my garden. There is just something about fresh green beans that you cannot beat! They have such a rich, sweet flavor that cannot be duplicated. My husband started stir frying them and now I eat them as my dinner at least twice per week.  

Ingredients: 

• About 4 cups of fresh cut green beans
• 2 Tbsp high smoke-point oil (*See note on oils)
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1-1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• Few drops of hot sauce (optional)

How to Make Asian Stir Fried 

1. Stir-frying, if you haven’t done it before, is quick but requires your full attention while cooking so prepare your ingredients before hand.
   1. Combine the cooking oil and sesame oil in a small bowl
   2. In a different small bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, sesame seeds, and hot sauce.
   3. Cut your green beans into bit size lengths and place them in a bowl. The more uniform they are in size, the more evenly they cook.
2. On high heat, heat up your wok / pan.
3. Add the oil mixture to the wok and swirl around to coat the surface.
4. Add the green beans. There should be a loud sizzle and flash of steam.  If there isn’t, you need more heat.
5. Stir constantly to avoid burning. After 3-5 minutes they should be browning.
6. Add the soy sauce mixture and stir for another minute or so.
7. Serve steaming hot.

Notes on cooking oils

Choosing cooking oils can be quite daunting to the uninitiated. There are generally three aspects to take into account when making a decision – smoke point, flavor, and relative healthiness. For the health conscious, an oil low in saturated fat and high in omega-3 fatty acids is preferred.  ome oils have a neutral flavor and generally do not alter the taste of the food, while others impart significant flavor. The smoke point tells you how the oil can be used, and depends on not only the composition of the oil, but in some cases how it was refined. Some oils such as flaxseed begin to smoke at relatively low temperatures (225° F). Others such as safflower oil won’t smoke until over 500° F. In addition to the obvious obvious risk of starting a fire, excessive heat to an oil can change it’s flavor profile. The decomposition of oils at high heat also produces oxidated byproducts that increase the risk of heart disease and cancers.

Canola oil has a high smoke point and will stand up to the stir fry process, has a neutral flavor, and has a low percentage of saturated fats. Canola therefore is a good all purpose oil to have available and works well for this application.

Sesame oil depending on how it was refined can have wildly different smoke points over a 100° apart.  Therefore here we use just a little for it’s taste. If given a choice, choose a refined oil over unrefined as will stand up to the heat better.

Looking for more favorite side dish recipes? Here are some that we think you’ll love: 

• Bacon and Green Onion Twice Baked Potato
• Easy Carrot Raisin Salad
• Roasted Zucchini 
• Glazed Carrots with Dill
• Classic Three Bean Salad

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Asian Stir Fried Green Beans

The flavors of the orient bring this dish to life!

Ingredients

• 4 cups fresh cut green beans
• 2 tbsp high smoke point oil
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1.5 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• few drops of hot sauce optional

Instructions

1. Combine cooking oil and sesame oil in small bowl.

2. In a different small bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, sesame seeds and hot sauce.

3. Cut your green beans into bite size lengths and place in a bowl.  The more uniform they are, the more evenly they cook.

4. On high heat, heat up your wok/pan.

5. Add the oil mixture to the wok and swirl around to coat the surface.

6. Add the green beans.  There should be a loud sizzle and flash of steam.  If there isn't, you need more heat.

7. Stir constantly to avoid burning.  After 3-5 minuter, they should be browning.

8. Add the soy sauce mixture and stir for another minute or so.

9. Serve steaming hot.