Stir-fried green beans and beef make a delicious dish. First, green beans are deep fried until the outer skin becomes slightly wilted. Once all the beans are fried, they’re stir-fried in garlic, chili garlic sauce, black bean sauce and soy sauce with beef. I also thicken the dish with a bit of cornstarch and add chiles for extra flavor. But the key ingredient is cashew nuts, which provide incredible texture and nutritional value with folic acid.
This may not be the healthiest way to prepare a stir fry, but I can’t get enough of it. The natural sweetness of the green beans balances perfectly with the tenderness of the beef. For a healthier alternative, you could substitute tofu for the meat and omit the sesame oil and sesame seeds.
1. Info for Spicy Stir Fried Beef and Green Beans
- Cook Time: unavailable
- Total Time: unavailable
- Servings: 6
- Calories: unavailable
2. Ingredients for Spicy Stir Fried Beef and Green Beans
- 8 ounces flank steak
- 6 ounces fresh green beans
- ½ cup canola oil (or any neutral oil), as needed
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
- 1 bunch fresh beech mushrooms, shredded
- 1 jalapeño pepper, stemmed and thinly sliced
- 1½ tablespoons chili garlic sauce
- 1 teaspoon wild flower honey (or any sweetener)
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons cooking rice wine
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon green onions, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons cashew nuts, coarsely chopped
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds (optional), for garnish
3. Directions:
- Wash and pat dry the beans. Divide into 4 batches.
- Heat the canola oil in a deep pan. Once the oil is hot, fry the beans, one batch at a time. Don’t over-crowd the pan. Cook until they are golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel and sprinkle with salt. Reserve the oil for other uses, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pan. The beans should still be crisp at this point, not mushy. Trim the ends of the beans after frying them if you like. Place on paper towels.
- Cut the beef into long, thick threads. In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, rice wine, ginger, honey, garlic and 2 teaspoons of the cornstarch. Marinate the beef in the soy sauce mixture for at least 15 minutes. In a wok, heat the oil. Add the garlic. As the garlic becomes slightly golden, add the sliced shallots. Once they’re fragrant, transfer to a plate, leaving as much oil as possible in the wok. Drain and pat dry the beef, saving the marinade on the side. In the same wok, add the beef pieces. Toss and cook until they change color. As soon as they change color, transfer to a plate. Add the remaining oil, then add the green onions, grated ginger, beech mushrooms and jalapeño pepper. Stir well. Season with the reserved marinade, chili garlic sauce and hoisin sauce. Add about ½ cup of water and cook until the sauce thickens. Return the beef and green beansto the wok. Stir and cook until desired doneness. Once the water evaporates, check the doneness of the beef (add more water if not fully cooked). Finish with the garlic, shallots and cashew nuts. Toss well. Drizzle with toasted sesame oil. Check seasoning (the saltiness from the soy sauce should be sufficient). Sprinkle with black pepper. Turn off the heat. Keep on the stove for about 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds (if used). Serve immediately with brown rice. Eat with chopsticks!