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22 February, 2018

Vegan Chinese Sichuan Style Green Beans with Preserved Olive Dressing

During my last trip to Bangkok I visited a Chinese restaurant that sent the most extraordinary fried long beans out of its kitchen. Only a few strings came per order, so they were especially savoured and discussed over the course of the meal. The vegetables were very simply dressed with oil and seasoning sauce, so it was the cooking technique that became the focus of my interest.

vegan dry fried green beans

Dry-Frying as a cooking technique

East Asian cooks utilise a broad set of skills with regards to cooking techniques. One of these techniques is, unsurprisingly, frying. This is the canopy description for many further and more subtle methods, however. Consider stir-frying, for example; this method could include only a splash of oil or a larger quantity, cooking over low or scorching heat, adding further liquid of varying consistencies, and various combinations of the above.

In the case of these beans, a “dry” method of stir-frying is used. This is not an intuitive description, but in Sichuan food preparation a technique known as dry-frying refers to the cooking style more than to the final dish. This is a cooking approach whereby ingredients are fried by themselves (i.e. no batter) in a moderate amount of oil until partially dehydrated and slightly browned. After the initial dry-frying step, excess oil is removed from the wok and the food(s) are briefly stir fried with a minimal portion of a strongly flavoured sauce or aromatics.

Hence “dry” is a bit of a misnomer to the uninitiated as it actually refers to dishes that are somewhat sauced.

Conversely, for the sake of reference and comparison, wet cooking methods include braising, boiling and blanching foods, prolonged baking and simmering (think hotpots), and steaming.

Preserved olive vegetable as seasoning

Chinese Preserved Olive Vegetable

I began to think of other ingredients to sauce the green beans and it struck me that the underrated (at least outside of Chinese Thai communities) ingredient ga na chai would be a good addition. Made from mustard leaves, shiitake mushrooms, and a type of Chinese olive (ga na), this pungent oily mash is used in Thailand with rice porridge and rice dishes. So why not with dry-fried green beans?

I have yet to come across ga na chai outside of Thai Chinatowns, but there is a similar (it only lacks the mushrooms) and relatively easy to find alternative that works perfectly: Chinese preserved olive vegetables. There are a few different brands, but I use Peng Sheng Hong Kong Preserved Olive Vegetables (pictured). There are also other Southern Chinese brands that would work. Containers of olive vegetable are available in most well stocked Chinese supermarkets and will fast become an ingredient you reach for to add that extra punch of umami that’s sometimes missing from savoury dishes.

Vegan Chinese Sichuan Style Green Beans

Vegan Chinese Sichuan Style Green Beans

Be sure to check the olive vegetable for whole fruits in case of hard stones. This is a spicy, savoury dish packed with umami, with a more-ishness that is difficult to describe. Once you try this method of cooking I’m hopeful you will experiment with other saucing agents!

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons Chinese olive vegetable (Thai ganachai)
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • ⅓ cup oil for deep frying
  • 200 grams long beans (or green beans), ends trimmed and cut into 2-3 inch segments
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 long red chili or bird’s eye, depending on heat preference (optional), thinly sliced

Directions/Method

  1. First make the dressing. Combine the olive vegetable (don’t forget to check for stones), water, rice vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce in a small bowl.
  2. Line a large plate or oven tray with kitchen roll.
  3. Heat a wok over high heat and then carefully pour in the oil. Wait 30 seconds or so for the oil to heat and then add the green beans. Stir fry for 5-8 minutes, until the green beans are wrinkled but not overly browned.
  4. Remove the beans with a slotted spoon to drain on the kitchen roll. Pat off any excess oil.
  5. Drain all but a tablespoon of oil from the wok. Tip in the garlic and chilli and stir fry for a few seconds until the garlic is fragrant and starting to brown. Add the beans back to the wok, along with the sauce. Give it a good mixing and tossing. Transfer to a bowl or plate and serve hot with steamed rice.
  • Author: Kip Dorrell
  • Serves: 2-3, with rice
  • Cuisine: Sichuan Chinese

Filed Under: Snacks and Sides, Vegetables Tagged With: Chinese, East Asian, long beans, Spicy

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  • Discover a sliver of the world of Thai noodles beyond pat thai and pat see ew at my Thai vegan noodle supper club on February 23. The meal begins with kuay teow reua, or boat noodles, a bold noodle soup fragrant with cinnamon, pandan, and star anise. The main course will be coils of kanom jeen noodles served with two different types of curry. Nam Ya is a rich, bright, spicy red curry aromatic with the rhizome krachai, which has a pleasant eucalyptus-like flavour. Nam prik, on the other hand, is a sweet, sour, smoky, and salty curry with nutty richness from toasted mung beans. These curries will be served with heaps of fresh herbs, vegetables, and condiments. Finally, for dessert, is salim. These are homemade jasmine and pandan scented mung bean noodles served in sweet iced coconut milk.

To book tickets see the link in my bio.

#vegansupperclub #vegan #veganthaifood #vegansofldn #veganlondoner #londonvegan #londonvegancommunity #eatwith #vegansoflondon #veganfoodlondon #londonveganfood #londonsupperclub #londonveganevents #noodlestagram #kanomjeen #boatnoodles #vegan #vegannoodles #salim #ขนมจีน #น้ำยา #ขนมจีน้ำพริก #ซ่าหริ่ม #อาหารไทย #วีแกน  #veganfoodspot #bestofvegan #feedfeedvegan #thaifoodlondon #veganfoodshare
  • I forgot to share this vegan fried egg recipe I posted last week. As I mention in my post, which you can find on messyvegancook.com, Rocky Shepheard of @thevegg deserves credit for so much of the groundwork laid for making vegan eggs, full stop. And the fried egg recipe in his 2012 book is still the best Western style version I've seen and tried to date (hint: the yolk is properly runny and tastes of yolk). These eggs, however, are based on Thai style fried eggs, or kai dao. Kai dao are cooked in more oil on high heat until crispy and lightly browned around the edges, the antithesis to their Western counterpart. The internet features a shedload of recipes in Thai for vegan kai dao using a number of ingredient combinations. I have seen recipes where the whites are more starch based than tofu, but I prefer the texture of a bean curd based vegan egg. The outer layer is made of yuba, which helps the eggs crisp up upon frying.

#veganegg #kaidao #feedfeedvegan #bestofvegan #veganfriedegg #letscookvegan #veganfoodspot #veganfoodlovers #veganshare #ไข่ดาวเจ #ไข่ดาว #yuba #pumpkin #veganeggs #ฟองเต้าหู้ #veganthaifood #veganrecipeshare #veganrecipe #thaifoodstagram #วีแกน #อาหารเจ #มังสวิรัติ #vegan #vegansofinsta #veganbreakfast #veganfood #veganeats
  • 🇰🇷 Among the previously unknown to me dishes I enjoyed in South Korea last fall is Kongbiji-jjigae. Perfect for winter, this warming stew is made with aged kimchi and fresh okara. Okara is a byproduct of soy milk production. To make soy milk the beans are soaked and then blended with water. The pulpy liquid is then cooked and strained, leaving you with fresh soy milk. The leftover lees is the okara. To make kongbiji-jjigae, however, there is no need to get caught up in the process of making soy milk since the beans are soaked, blended with a little dashi, and tossed into the pot without straining.
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#kongbijijjigae #vegankoreanfood #koreanfood #okara #koreanvegan #kimchi #kfood #okararecipes #koreancuisine #bestofvegan #feedfeedvegan #vegantravel #letscookvegan #veganfoodspot #veganfoodisnotboring #thevegansclub #feedfeedvegan #letscookvegan #vegan #veganstew
  • 🇹🇭Sai ua are grilled Northern Thai herbal sausages made with bold spicing and aromatics. Grilling in near freezing temperatures (or any digits below, say, 22) is trialing, but nippy or not I've been keen to share these at recent supper clubs. Stay tuned for the next date!
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#ไส้อั่ว #อาหารไทย #อร่อย #thaifood #eatandshout #มังสวิรัติ #วีแกน #veganthaifood #thaifoodstagram #northernthaifood #saiua #vegansausage #aroisnap #chasingdelicious #veganlondon #londonvegan #feedfeedvegan #veganfoodisnotboring #londonvegancommunity #vegansupperclub #veganfoodspot #vegan
  • One culinary item I always have to the ready, in one form or another, is homemade stock. This takes various forms depending on what vegetables I have laying about or on what kind of flavour profile I'm seeking. This noodle soup stock is made with corn and shiitakes mushrooms. The toppings are deep fried yuba, spring onion, and citrus chili oil with black beans from Chinese food scholar @therealmadamehuang's gorgeous tome All Under Heaven. 
#chilioil #noodlesoup #allunderheaven #homecooking #asianfood #comfortfood #yuba #thekitchen #noodlesfordays #noodleslover #noodlesarelife #noodlestagram #vegan #todayfood #veganeats #vegansofinstagram #feedfeedvegan #bestofvegan #veganfoodisnotboring #thevegansclub #veganeatsplease #letscookvegan #veganfoodspot #cuisine_captures #vegannoodles #cookbooklover
  • 🇹🇭 Kway teow pat/pad kee mao, otherwise known as drunken noodles. Many menus incorrectly label this dish as simply pad kee mao, which roughly translates to drunkard's stir fry. Prepend this with kway teow and you have a drunkard's noodle stir fry. For the recipe and more on the etymology, you can find the recipe on messyvegancook.com (link in bio). #อาหารไทย #อร่อย #thaifood #veganthaifood #thaifoodstagram #วีแกน #อาหาร #มังสวิรัติ #noodles #noodleslover #noodlesfordays #noodlesarelife #noodlestagram #padkeemao #ก๋วยเตี๋ยวผัดขี้เมา #ก๋วยเตี๋ยว #vegan #veganfoodspot #vegannoodles #veganfoodshare
  • From my last visit to the US over the holidays. My parents live in Maryland and I always try to get into DC for a day by myself to visit a museum or two and grab a bite to eat. Because of the government shutdown I couldn't get to the National Gallery to revisit my favourite ever painting, but I made it to the National Building Museum (which is privately run and hence open). Should you find yourself in DC I highly recommend prioritising this museum. Anyway, the food. This is the potato pierogi with sauerkraut and sour cream from @eatfarewell near Union Station. Also the pain au chocolat and coffee. One aspect of US food and drink culture I love and miss is how it's virtually impossible to find bad drip coffee (except at Starbucks, who make vile drip coffee). #veganDC #vegandc #yesthisisvegan #vegan #veganfoodspot #veganDC #DCveganlife #DCvegan #vegantravel #veganwashingtonDC #veganlunch 
#veganpainauchocolat #veganpierogi #sauerkraut #pierogi #dceats

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