Day 349.
My husband and I both love Chinese green beans and the kids are absolute green bean junkies (though they usually prefer them raw). Our CSA box included another delicious-looking pound of fresh green beans this time, so I decided to give the green beans we love to get when out at a Chinese buffet a try at home. They have such a unique taste I’m hoping I can emulate it well.

Chinese Green Beans
Ingredients for 4 servings
  • 1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut in 2-inch sections

Sauce:

  • Mock hoisin sauce (about 1 tablespoon)
    • 2 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
    • 1/2 teaspoon peanut butter
    • dash of House seasoning
    • dash of hot sauce
    • drop of molasses
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons dry sherry
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ginger, ground

Other:

  • 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup minced red onion
  • 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
  • 1/8 teaspoon red chile flakes
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil (for frying), divided
Directions
Mix sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat in a wok or slope-sided skillet. Stir fry green beans for about 7 minutes, until tender but not mushy. Remove green beans.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil and stir fry red onion for 2-3 minutes, until tender. Add garlic, hot sauce and chile flakes and heat an additional minute. Add green beans and sauce and toss. Serve hot.
The Results
Oh my goodness. These green beans are beyond wonderful. We really wished we’d had another pound of green beans to immediately make another batch. All of us devoured our servings and my husband was delighted to get the only second helping that was left (it was closest to his birthday). This is a definite repeat and I highly recommend the recipe. It’s incredibly simple to make at home and I’ll definitely be making this whenever I’m craving Chinese buffet food. This version is less greasy than the usual buffet version and the switch from scallions to red onions adds a yummy flavor.