These Chinese garlic green beans are inspired by Din Tai Fung. They are really easy and quick to make, only 15 minutes, and the green beans are wonderfully garlicky and still crisp on the inside! They are perfect sides to go with any meals, like our shrimp lo mein and beef and broccoli.
The soup dumplings at Din Tai Fung are amazing, but their green beans with garlic inspired us to make this Chinese garlic green beans. This green bean recipe is soooo easy and quick to make. It really makes for a great side dish when you need some veggies to accompany your meal.
If you're looking for more simple side dishes like this one, you may also like our tomato egg stir fry, Chinese smashed cucumber salad, and Korean volcano steamed egg.
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Ingredients
Please scroll down to the recipe card for the ingredient quantities!
This Chinese-style garlic green beans requires only 3 ingredients, in addition to some oil for flash frying.
- Green beans - Sometimes also known as string beans.
- Garlic - Gotta be super generous with garlic for this green bean side dish!
- Salt - We used coarse kosher salt for this recipe. If you're using fine salt, you may need to use a little less, or season to your preference.
- Oil - Any neutral, high smoke point oil will do. It's for flash frying the green beans.
How to make Chinese garlic green beans
1. Remove the ends of the green beans either by snapping the tips off with your fingers or trimming them with a knife. Rinse the beans, then thoroughly dry them with clean kitchen towels or paper towels.
2. In a medium pot or wok, add about ½ inch of oil. Heat the oil on medium high heat until about 350°F. While the oil is heating, prepare a plate lined with paper towels.
🌟 Pro tip: You can also check to see if the oil is hot enough by placing the tip of a wooden chopstick in the oil. The oil should sizzle instantly with lots of bubbles.
3. In batches, add the dried green beans into the oil and flash fry them for about 30 seconds to 2 minutes, depending on how cooked you like your green beans. Remove the green beans from the oil, and let them drain on the prepared plate with paper towels.
4. Drain the oil into a bowl or container, leaving about 1 to 2 teaspoons of oil in the pan. Be careful! The oil and pan will be VERY HOT!
📝 Note: If you're uncomfortable handling hot oil, set it aside and let it cool before handling it! Just heat up a new pan and add a couple teaspoons of the frying oil.
5. Heat the pan over medium heat until hot and add the minced garlic. Sauté the garlic until fragrant and slightly browned. Turn off the heat and add the flash fried green beans. Season with the salt and toss until everything is evenly mixed.
6. Transfer the garlic green beans onto a plate and enjoy! You can also drizzle a bit of homemade chili oil for extra fragrance and a little spice.
Recipe tips
- Dry the green beans well! It is very important to dry the beans well on some kitchen towels or paper towels to prevent the oil from popping when flash frying the beans.
- Make sure the oil is hot enough. If the oil is too low, the green beans can absorb too much oil and taste greasy. You can test the oil by putting the tip of a wooden chopstick in the oil. If the oil immediately starts sizzling around the chopstick with a lot of bubbles, the oil is hot enough. You can do the same with a green bean.
- Adjust how long to cook the beans, depending on how crunchy or cooked you like your green beans. We prefer our green beans a little crisper, so around 45 seconds. But you can cook your green beans up to 2 minutes.
- If you like spice, you can sauté some red pepper flakes with the garlic or toss the garlic green beans with some homemade Chinese chili oil. Our chili oil adds so much flavor and fragrance to this simple Chinese-style green beans.
Storage
After your leftover Chinese garlic green beans have cooled completely, you can store them in an airtight or just properly covered, in the fridge, for up to 5 days. However, these green beans are best enjoyed within a couple of days.
Reheating
Simply reheat any leftover garlic green beans in the microwave, in a microwaveable container, until hot. You can also heat them in a pan over medium high heat until hot.
What to do with leftover oil
Leftover oil can be reused for cooking or more frying. Transfer the leftover oil into a heatproof bowl, jar, or container. Let the oil cool completely, then cover with plastic wrap or a lid. If you're uncomfortable with handling hot oil, set the oil aside to cool first!
If you plan on reusing the oil again, make sure to strain it through a fine mesh strainer or a couple layers or cheesecloth to remove any debris. Keep the oil in a cool, dark place and use within a couple of weeks.
If you're disposing oil, pour it into a jar or a container that can be sealed. Dispose of it in your trashcan. DO NOT pour it down your drain! It may damage your pipes and also cause damage to the environment!
FAQ
We recommend fresh green beans, also known as string beans, for this recipe. They will taste the best and have the best texture.
You could use less oil and just sauté the green beans, however, the flavor and texture will not be the same. Flash frying cooks and wrinkles up the skin on the green beans, but keep the inside perfectly crisp and crunchy.
If you’ve made this recipe or any recipes from our blog, please tag us on Instagram using #twoplaidaprons! You can also tag us in your Instagram stories using @two_plaid_aprons. We would love to see your creations! It absolutely makes our day! 🥰
📖 Recipe
Chinese Garlic Green Beans
Ingredients
- 1 pound green beans
- 2 tablespoons garlic minced (about 4 to 5 cloves)
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt (if using fine salt, use a little less)
- Oil as needed (any high smoke point oil like vegetable, peanut, avocado, etc)
Instructions
- Remove the ends of the green beans by snapping the tips with your fingers or trimming with a knife. Rinse the beans and dry them thoroughly with kitchen towels or paper towels.
- In a medium pot or wok, add about ½ inch of oil. Heat the oil on medium high heat until about 350°F. While the oil is heating, prepare a plate lined with paper towels.*You can also check to see if the oil is hot enough by placing the tip of a wooden chopstick in the oil. The oil should sizzle instantly with lots of bubbles.*
- In batches, add the dried green beans into the oil and flash fry them for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, depending on how cooked you like your green beans. Remove the green beans from the oil and let them drain the prepared plate with paper towels.
- Drain the oil into a bowl or container, leaving about 1 to 2 teaspoons of oil in the pan.*If you're uncomfortable with pouring out hot oil, let it cool before handling it, and use a new pan.*
- Heat the pan over medium heat until hot and add the minced garlic. Sauté the garlic until fragrant and slightly browned. Turn off the heat and add the flash fried green beans. Season with the salt and toss until everything is evenly mixed.
- Transfer the garlic green beans onto a plate and enjoy! You can also drizzle a bit of homemade chili oil for extra fragrance and a little spice.
Notes
- Make sure to thoroughly dry the green beans! This is especially important the oil will pop if water is introduced to the hot oil. So after rinsing the green beans, pat it dry with clean kitchen towels or paper towels.
- Handling hot oil - If you feel uncomfortable handling the oil while it's hot, set it aside and let it cool before pouring the oil into a bowl or container. Safety always come first! You can just use a new pan and add a couple teaspoon of the frying oil to sauté the garlic.
- Adding spice - If you like your Chinese garlic green beans a little spicy, sauté some chili flakes with the minced garlic before adding the green beans. You can also toss the garlic green beans with some homemade Chinese chili oil for some spice and extra fragrance.
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