Hot and Sour Hunan Green Beans 酸豆角炒肉末
Hot and sour green beans are a crunchy, spicy, bright, and super flavorful side dish from Hunan, China. They're guaranteed to whet your appetite; eat them with white rice, as a topping for noodles, or as a relish with savory pancakes. Traditionally the dish is made with Chinese long beans 长豆角, but it works just as well with regular green beans!
Equipment
- wok (or 3qt+ stir fry pan) + wok spoon or spatula
Ingredients
- 12 oz long beans or green beans 长豆角或四季豆，350克
- 6 oz ground pork or ground beef 碎猪肉，150克
- 2 fresh hot chilies red or green, minced (to taste) 青红辣椒，适量，切碎
- 2 tsp minced garlic 2颗大蒜，切碎
- 1 tsp minced ginger 2克姜，切碎
- 2 Tbsp distilled white vinegar to taste 白醋，30克
- 1½ tsp
light soy sauce 生抽酱油，8克 - 2 Tbsp
pickled red pepper relish optional 剁椒，2汤勺 - 1 Tbsp neutral cooking oil like avocado or canola 菜油，10克
- ¼ tsp salt to taste 食用盐，2克
- ⅛ tsp sugar 白糖，2克
- 1 tsp
chili oil optional 辣椒油，5可
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, adding ~1 tsp of salt per quart of water. Chop long beans or green beans into 1/8" segments. Blanch green bean segments in the salted water for 30 seconds. Set aside.把豆角切碎，盐水焯30秒，沥干备用。
- Heat stir fry pan to medium heat (280°F) and add the oil. Saute ground pork, breaking it up into small pieces, until the meat is cooked through and the fat has rendered. Add in aromatics (garlic, ginger, fresh chilies) and saute until fragrant.油锅烧至140°C，将肉末炒至金黄。锅里加入切碎的姜蒜辣椒，爆香。
- Add in blanched green beans, tossing continuously, until cooked through but still crisp, 3-5 minutes. Add vinegar, soy sauce, pepper relish, chili oil, sugar, and salt to taste. Toss until thoroughly combined.转中大火（170°C）。加入豆角，不停翻炒至熟透，约3-5分钟。调味：以个人口味加白醋，生抽，白糖，剁椒，盐。翻炒均匀即可出锅装盘。
Notes
As written, this dish is an authentic level of sour and spicy. If you're not the biggest fan of spice, feel free to omit the chili oil and reduce the amount of fresh and pickled peppers.
These Hot & Sour Hunan Green Beans are somewhere between a relish and a side dish. They're meant to be eaten as a topping over other foods like rice, congee, or pancakes.