Have you ever seen Chinese long beans? They’re a deep red, almost purple, color, and about a foot and a half long. I had never even heard of these - and with all the food magazines I subscribe to, it’s difficult to find a vegetable that I haven’t at least read something about. They recently appeared in our weekly farm share, and fortunately our farmer was thoughtful enough to include some recipe ideas on his blog. While the beans almost look to pretty to cook, this recipe was perfect. And if you can’t find these crazy looking beans - you can substitute regular green beans!
Grocery list: one pound Chinese long beans, 2 green onions (or 1/2 a small onion), 1 small red bell pepper, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar, vegetable oil, fresh cracked pepper.
Core the pepper and dice. Thinly slice the onions, and cut the beans into 2-inch long pieces.
Stir fry the beans and red pepper in the vegetable oil over medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes, until they are brown in spots. If you’re using green onions, these cook faster, so you can add them after the beans and red pepper have already been in the pan for a few minutes. If you’re using a regular onion, add it at the beginning, because it takes longer to soften and brown.
Sprinkle the sugar over the vegetables, and stir in 1/4 cup of water. Turn down the heat to medium low.
Cover immediately and cook for 5 minutes. The beans will continue to soften - this steam phase is important. Even though the beans look brown and “done” after the initial stir-fry, they would be too rubbery to eat!
Uncover and stir in the soy sauce and a generous amount of fresh cracked pepper. Cook for one more minute, then serve immediately.
August 14th, 2009 at 10:00 am
These look great! I’ve never seen those beans, but now I’m on the look-out.