Cooking
Fried foods. I hadn't really contemplated fried foods until the current Is My Blog Burning was announced "Summer's Flying, Let's get Frying". They just seem so taboo to me. That's not to say I don't eat fried foods. If I go out to eat mussels I am more than likely to eat frites. On a super late night if I pass Bob's Dounts and they happen to be putting out a fresh batch I've been known to partake.
But frying food at home? Nope. Anthony Bourdain neatly outlines the difficulty of frying French fries at home in the Les Halles Coobook and why it is such a bother--there is the quantity of the oil necessary, the disposal of oil, the lack of a professional "fryer", the difficulty of maintaining the right temperature, the resulting sogginess of the fries and oiliness of your kitchen. While I will probably never make fries at home, there is one solitary dish that I do fry at home--string beans.
Have you ever had dry fried string beans at a Chinese restaurant? The beans become wrinkled and darker green. The flavor and texture intensifies and they tun into a treat that is hard to stop eating! How are they made? They are fried. Usually deep fried. But because unlike potatoes or a myriad of other things that go into fryers, they don't really absorb oil, they are easy to make and almost impossible to mess up. Also you don't need to deep fry them, shallow frying is fine. The original recipe uses Chinese long beans but you can make these with green beans
Chinese Style Green Beans
serves 4
Ingredients
1 lb fresh green beans
1/4 cup vegetable oil or peanut oil (I used rice oil)
sauce:
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons water
1 Tablespoons sherry
1 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Chili garlic paste to taste (I use a teaspoon)
Instructions
Wash the beans and chop off the ends. In a small bowl combine the sauce ingredients. Heat a heavy pan and add the oil. When the oil is very hot, add the beans and cook, stirring frequently until the beans are wrinkled slightly, 5-10 minutes. Scoop out the beans and drain off the oil. Drain the beans on a paper towel then return the beans and the sauce mixture to the dry pan and cook until thickened. Serve with rice.
Enjoy!
- Vegetarian Green Chili Recipe
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- All About Fava Beans
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Summer food post #182. Well, maybe not, but lately it's been hot and hot weather requires an appropriate menu. Tonight we had a salad nicoise. If I say "salad nicoise" you probably think of a salad with olives, potatoes, string beans, anchovies and...
- Potluck Recipes: The Bean Dish
In my mental recipe file, I have a section labeled "potluck recipes." The imaginary index cards hold dishes that don't cost much to make, come together easily, and scale well. Usually they can be served at room temperature, so that I don't have...
- Imbb # 11: Beans, Beans, That Musical Fruit: Meatless Vegetarian Meatballs
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Cooking
Chinese Style Green Beans: Recipe
Fried foods. I hadn't really contemplated fried foods until the current Is My Blog Burning was announced "Summer's Flying, Let's get Frying". They just seem so taboo to me. That's not to say I don't eat fried foods. If I go out to eat mussels I am more than likely to eat frites. On a super late night if I pass Bob's Dounts and they happen to be putting out a fresh batch I've been known to partake.
But frying food at home? Nope. Anthony Bourdain neatly outlines the difficulty of frying French fries at home in the Les Halles Coobook and why it is such a bother--there is the quantity of the oil necessary, the disposal of oil, the lack of a professional "fryer", the difficulty of maintaining the right temperature, the resulting sogginess of the fries and oiliness of your kitchen. While I will probably never make fries at home, there is one solitary dish that I do fry at home--string beans.
Have you ever had dry fried string beans at a Chinese restaurant? The beans become wrinkled and darker green. The flavor and texture intensifies and they tun into a treat that is hard to stop eating! How are they made? They are fried. Usually deep fried. But because unlike potatoes or a myriad of other things that go into fryers, they don't really absorb oil, they are easy to make and almost impossible to mess up. Also you don't need to deep fry them, shallow frying is fine. The original recipe uses Chinese long beans but you can make these with green beans
Chinese Style Green Beans
serves 4
Ingredients
1 lb fresh green beans
1/4 cup vegetable oil or peanut oil (I used rice oil)
sauce:
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons water
1 Tablespoons sherry
1 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Chili garlic paste to taste (I use a teaspoon)
Instructions
Wash the beans and chop off the ends. In a small bowl combine the sauce ingredients. Heat a heavy pan and add the oil. When the oil is very hot, add the beans and cook, stirring frequently until the beans are wrinkled slightly, 5-10 minutes. Scoop out the beans and drain off the oil. Drain the beans on a paper towel then return the beans and the sauce mixture to the dry pan and cook until thickened. Serve with rice.
Enjoy!
- Vegetarian Green Chili Recipe
Vegetarian green chili was the request for dinner the other night. Chili is very popular at my house. But I rarely make it the same way twice. It might be red or green made with white beans or black beans. I have made it with pork, beef, bison, turkey...
- All About Fava Beans
When I lived in Italy there were all kinds of lovely things to eat that I never saw back home. Fortunately three of my favorites – fava beans, Tuscan kale and baby artichokes are now as common here as they were over there. Fava beans also known as...
- Salad Nicoise Redux
Summer food post #182. Well, maybe not, but lately it's been hot and hot weather requires an appropriate menu. Tonight we had a salad nicoise. If I say "salad nicoise" you probably think of a salad with olives, potatoes, string beans, anchovies and...
- Potluck Recipes: The Bean Dish
In my mental recipe file, I have a section labeled "potluck recipes." The imaginary index cards hold dishes that don't cost much to make, come together easily, and scale well. Usually they can be served at room temperature, so that I don't have...
- Imbb # 11: Beans, Beans, That Musical Fruit: Meatless Vegetarian Meatballs
I think it's come to stay, that IMBB? thing - and it just keeps getting better and better! I for one was thrilled when I found out Cathy of My Little Kitchen had the honor of hosting this version, and that with the excellent theme of Beans, Beans...