Dry-Braised Green Beans

Dry-Braised Green Beans

　　Dry-Braised Green Beans

　　　"Dry-Braised Green Beans" is a famous specialty dish from Sichuan. This dish has a deliciously savory flavor and pairs excellently with alcohol.

　　The cooking method of "dry-braising" originates from Sichuan. Legend has it that during the late Qing Dynasty, Huang Jinlin, the imperial chef of Empress Dowager Cixi, established the restaurant "Gugu Yan" in Chengdu, later opening "Gugu Chuan" and "Ge Nu Cai," which specialized in hosting high-end banquets. These three restaurants were skilled in preparing imperial-style dishes such as bird’s nest and shark fin banquets, bear paw banquets, and abalone and shark fin banquets. They were the first to create dry-braised shark fin as the main dish for banquets, which became extremely popular in Chengdu.

　　These types of dry-braised dishes used premium ingredients such as shark fin and deer tendon, utilizing the rich collagen protein naturally present in the ingredients. By heating and reducing the sauce, the moisture was concentrated. These dishes were not spicy but emphasized a clear, fresh, and mellow richness. Due to the use of costly ingredients, they were not widely available. As a result, vegetable-based dry-braised dishes such as "Dry-Braised Green Beans" and "Dry-Braised Water Bamboo" became popular alternatives and spread widely.

　　These dishes primarily feature a savory and salty taste, with a dry and fragrant mouthfeel. There is usually no fixed procedure for preparation. Some methods involve using raw ingredients that are deep-fried, pan-fried, or stir-fried before seasonings are added for braising. Other methods require pre-cooking the ingredients through steaming or boiling before further processing. During cooking, medium heat is generally used, aiming to cook the ingredients just right without overdoing them. The resulting dish has a thick, tightly bound sauce with a glossy, oily sheen.　【Ingredients】

　　500g green beans, 50g dried shrimp, 10g salt, 1g MSG, 150g chicken broth, 10g Shaoxing wine, 10g sesame oil, 500g cooking oil (actual usage about 70g).

　　【Method】

　　(1) Trim both ends of the green beans, remove the strings, and cut them into 5cm-long segments. Soak the dried shrimp in clean water until softened, then chop into a fine mince.

　　(2) Heat oil in a wok over high heat until it reaches 40% heat. Add the green beans and deep-fry until they become soft, change color, and start to blister on the surface, then transfer them to a colander. Leave 25g of oil in the wok, first stir-fry the minced dried shrimp, then add the green beans. Pour in the Shaoxing wine, chicken broth, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat and simmer for a few minutes until the green beans absorb the flavors and the sauce thickens. Simmer over low heat to reduce the sauce until it is almost dry, add MSG, stir a few times, drizzle with sesame oil, and serve on a plate.