干煸四季豆 Dry-Fried String Beans and Minced Pork

There was a restaurant in Beijing called XiaoWangFu that all the westerners we knew would get together at. They were really good at catering to westerner's taste while remaining authentic. All my westerner girl friends raved about this dish.
It doesn't sound like anything special but I finally tried it and wow was it good. This homemade version is even better in my opinion.

Once I accidently bought french green beans and this dish did not turn out. Through that experience I learned that the type of bean you use really makes a difference here. French beans are very thin, mostly skin with little meat and so are not well suited for deep-frying. But string beans preform so well being cooked in this style. I love the smoky flavor they develop from first being deep-fried and then being dry-fried until they start to char a little. Delicious! They remain nice and meaty while at the same time having a crisped exterior. Not to mention the outstanding flavor in this dish.

Since I have moved back to Canada I have not been able to find string beans. I wanted to update my pictures as the one I took in Beijing was terrible and unclear so the bean you see in the photo is actually french beans.

Here is what I suggest if you are in the same situation as me and can`t find string beans in your area. Simmer the beans in water until they are fully cooked. Drain and dab dry with a paper towel. Fry garlic, ginger, leek, chilies and pork. Then add beans and dry fry sauce and cook until the pan is dry. Don`t try to cook until charred. Season with salt to taste.

Ingredients

500 grams fresh string beans
150 grams pork tenderloin, minced or ground
1 Tbsp. leek or spring onion, chopped
1 tsp. ginger, minced or grated
pickled red chilies or fresh Thai chili's, sliced (amount according to personal taste)

Dry-Fry Sauce

1 Tbsp. wine
1/4 tsp. salt, plus more according to taste
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. sesame oil

Remove the strings from the string beans. To do this, soak in cold water then using your fingers, snap off the end, that grew on the vine, halfway, then pull down gently to remove the string. If the string breaks then snap off the other end and do the same from that side. You want to cut off both ends anyways.

Mix together wine,salt,sugar,soy sauce and sesame oil and set aside.

Wash then drain string beans in a colander. Heat oil for deep-frying and then deep-fry string beans until soft but not browned.

Remove and set aside.

Clean the wok.

Heat 1 tsp. oil over medium high heat. Add ginger, leek, chili's(optional) and pork and stir until cooked through. 

 Add string beans back in with the Dry-Fry Sauce. Fry until sauce is dried up and string beans appear dry and a little blacked on the edges.

 Season with salt to taste and serve.

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