Asian Green Beans Recip
If your garden has a bumper crop, these healthy, flavorful Asian Green Beans will be on your menu all summer long. This is a super simple way to prepare sauteed green beans!
These Chinese Green Beans may not be authentic, but they’ll be a terrific new vegetable recipe to add to your menu. My family loves this fresh green bean recipe!
Chinese Green Beans
This Asian green beans recipe has been in my repertoire for decades. In fact, it came from my mom. She started making these sauteed green beans with garlic the year we lived in Vancouver, B.C. They’re incredibly easy to make and the perfect side dish for a casual summer supper or an elegant dinner party.
The key is to cook them long enough so the beans are tender and start to wilt. Best with fresh summer beans, I’ve found some fresh haricots vert at Trader Joe’s that are terrific for the offseason. I imagine they’d be darned tasty using defrosted frozen whole green beans in the winter. Note to self: try with frozen beans soon!
How to Pick Out Fresh Green Beans
You’ll want to look at the color of the beans, surface for discoloration, bruises and soft spots, along with the size and shape. Do a visual inspection and buy thin bright green beans without large, bulging seeds. They shouldn’t look dehydrated and should “snap” cleanly when bent.
How to Saute Green Beans
- Heat olive oil in a large saute pan.
- Add crushed garlic, then the beans. Cook a few minutes.
- Mix in the soy sauce and sugar. Cook a couple more minutes.
- Add the sherry and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until soft and wilted, about 10 minutes.
More Delicious Vegetable Recipes:
Most typically, the side dishes on our menu are uninspired. We bake potatoes, make simple rice pilaf, or cook up some fresh or frozen vegetables. But when we’re having company for dinner or celebrating a birthday or holiday, it’s time to shake up the standard routine.
These sauteed green beans only take a couple of extra minutes to throw together and will disappear quickly. I’m also dying to try these Roasted Green Beans from Rachel Cooks. Here are a few other family favorites:
This recipe was first shared in August 2015. Photos and text were updated in 2021.
Asian Green Beans
Garden green beans sauteed with garlic, soy and sherry for a simple side dish
Ingredients
- 3 cloves of garlic, crushed with skins removed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans
- 4 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon dry sherry
- Sesame seeds, to garnish, optional
Instructions
Heat olive oil in a large saute pan. Add crushed garlic and cook a minute or so till fragrant.
Add green beans and add to the pan. Stir, then cook for a couple of minutes before adding the soy sauce and sugar. Stir and cook for 2 more minutes.
Add sherry, decrease heat, and cook uncovered for 10 minutes or until soft and wilted.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds to garnish, if desired, and serve.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 84Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 220mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 2g
