Dry-Fried Green Beans
Blistered green beans with pork, garlic, and chilli.
Ingredients
- 400 g Green beans
- 100 g Ground pork
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 3 Dried chilies
- 1 tbsp Light soy sauce
- 1 tsp Chinkiang black vinegar
- 3 tbsp Neutral oil
- ½ tsp Sugar
Method
- Trim the green beans and mince the garlic.
- Heat the neutral oil in a wok over high heat and fry the green beans until blistered and wrinkled, then set them aside.
- In the same wok, fry the ground pork with the garlic and dried chilies until the pork is crisp and browned.
- Return the beans to the wok, add the light soy, black vinegar, and sugar, and toss quickly to coat.
- Serve with rice.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Dry-Fried Green Beans
Dry-fried green beans, or gan bian si ji dou, is a Sichuan restaurant staple that turns a humble vegetable into something with serious presence. The signature move is the dry-frying itself: the beans go into hot oil and cook hard until their skins blister, wrinkle, and lightly char, driving off moisture and concentrating their flavor while giving them a slightly chewy, blistered bite. Ground pork crisped with garlic and dried chilies joins them, and a quick toss with soy, Chinkiang black vinegar, and a pinch of sugar pulls it all together.
The finished dish is savory and a little smoky, with the sweet-tart tang of the black vinegar cutting the richness of the crisp pork and the dried chilies adding warmth without overwhelming heat. It's served as a side to share alongside rice and other dishes in a Chinese meal, where its intense, wok-charred flavor makes it a favorite even among people who don't usually reach for vegetables. At about 20 minutes it's quick for the impact it delivers, and being naturally low in carbs it fits neatly as a vegetable-forward part of a bigger spread.
Dry-Fried Green Beans: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Dry-Fried Green Beans?
A serving has about 193 calories — 7g protein, 9.7g carbs, 15.1g fat, 3.2g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is Dry-Fried Green Beans gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Light soy sauce. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for that ingredient to make it gluten-free.
How many servings does Dry-Fried Green Beans make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.