Name: Easy Szechuan Green Beans
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 1 ½ pounds green beans, trimmed; 1 tablespoon minced ginger; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1 tablespoon sesame seeds; 1 teaspoon sesame oil; 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 1 tablespoon rice vinegar; ½ teaspoon white sugar; 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

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These Easy Szechuan Green Beans are made with trimmed green beans, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sugar.

The first time I tried these green beans were in Beijing in the summer of 2013. We were sitting on a sound table with the traditional Chinese Lazy Susan, and the green beans rolled around to me. I served myself on a plate and took a bite out of that crispy spicy deliciousness. They are traditionally made with Sichuan Peppercorns and dried chili peppers.

If you love this recipe, feel free to try my Baby Corn Stir Fry and my Air Fried Bok Choy.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions
Variations
Equipment
Storage
Top tip
Easy Szechuan Green Beans
Food safety

Ingredients

You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:

Green beans
Ginger
Garlic
Vegetable oil
Sesame seeds
Sesame oil
Soy sauce
Rice vinegar
White sugar
Red pepper flakes

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Start by heating up the vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok on medium high heat. Throw in the green beans and cook for 5 minutes

Add the garlic and ginger and toss frequently for 8 minutes.

Mix the sauce together in a bowl and stir well. Pour in the sauce and cook for another 4-6 minutes until the green beans are on the softer side, but not too soft.

Garnish with sesame seeds.

Hint: Mix the sauce before you start cooking the green beans.

Substitutions

Green beans: Make sure to use fresh green beans.
Ginger: Use ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger for every 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger
Garlic: You can use fresh or garlic from a jar.
Sesame seeds: This part is optional but gives the dish a great look. You can use everything but the bagel seasoning as well, which is what I used!
Sesame Oil: This gives it the best taste, I wouldn't omit!
Soy sauce: There should be twice the amount of soy sauce compared to rice vinegar.
Rice vinegar: You could also use rice wine vinegar, shaoxing wine, or dry sherry.
Sugar: Feel free to use white sugar or even honey if you prefer. You can use the same amount for either.
Red pepper flakes: If you have dried chili peppers, use that instead but this is a great alternative if you can't find them. Red pepper flakes will give the beans the spice they need.

Variations

Cooking is a chance to be creative! Have fun with it and feel free to make your own variation.

Spicy - add extra red pepper flakes or a bit of sriracha.
Deluxe - add teriyaki sauce or a little bit of spicy mayo.
Kid friendly - add crushed wonton chips for a nice crunch.

Check out this Miso Tuna to pair with these green beans.

Equipment

Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Stone bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal pans, and also retain heat for longer, which could make the recipe more watery, or burnt on the outsides.

I love using my Caraway pots, pans and baking sheets for best quality. Get yourself a discount by clicking here!

Storage

This will be good in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

These Easy Szechuan Green Beans ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.

Top tip

Since everything cooks fairly quickly, make sure to prep everything beforehand before cooking.