From UCWN Susan Metzger:
Here is the recipe for the Szechuan Green Beans that I took to Myrna’s pool party. It is on the attachment. My friend Lois sent the recipe and the cooking notes, shown below the newspaper clipping (skip the Broccoli Salad recipe).
BTW, we didn’t julienne the beans. I actually prefer them whole, not sliced.
I’m including my friend Lois’s comments:
I found a scan of the green beans attached but I have to add notes for you since it’s mostly marked up in my head, not on the paper.
Ok, what I do:
First off, double the recipe. (I have even quadrupled it but usually double it.
- Buy a 1 lb. bag of frozen green beans. They are trimmed, more consistent, and blanched. Thaw them thoroughly before you start to cook; if you rinse them in a colander to thaw them, make sure they are well-drained. Ever since I switched to frozen beans I have never used fresh for this recipe again.
- Use 4-6 cloves of garlic. Increase the fresh ginger so it’s in proportion to the garlic
- The “chili paste with garlic”: Use whatever Chinese or Indian chili paste you have that you like. You’re already using fresh garlic so don’t need “chili paste with garlic.”
- I use low-sodium soy sauce and don’t add any salt. If you like salty food, adjust to your taste.
- Do not reduce the sesame oil (I only did the very first time I ever used it, so ignore the markup on the scan.)
Procedure:
Use whatever oil you cook with (not olive oil). I use canola.
STEP 3: Because frozen green beans are close to cooked, shorten step 3 to stir frying them with the garlic and ginger until they are coated and glisten, maybe a minute or so.
The whole recipe is very fast. I use a large nonstick wok pan.
As I said, I really like the recipe best cold or room temperature much more than hot.
Originally published August 22, 1976. I’ve been making it ever since.