Spicy Szechuan Green Beans Recipe

Green beans are one of those vegetables that can look and taste a little bit drab. They're typically not the most exciting side, but with just nine ingredients and 10 minutes of your time, you can whip up a green bean recipe that will completely change the way you look at the vegetable. Chef and recipe developer Susan Olayinka of The Flexible Fridge crafted a spicy Szechuan green beans recipe that will surely become a new family favorite.

Szechuan seasoning is a savory taste for lots of different food items. "Beforehand, I only thought that you could add Szechuan seasoning to things like meat, but I know that you can definitely add it to vegetables, which makes vegetables much more tasty," Olayinka notes. And after you dig into this dish, green beans may very well become your new go-to vegetable. Follow these steps to begin your green bean cooking experience ASAP.

Before you start cooking your spicy Szechuan green beens recipe, you need to gather the ingredients. To concoct this meal, you'll need garlic, green beans, sesame seed oil, salt, and chili flakes. You'll also need sugar, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and rice vinegar.

To ensure you have everything handy while you're cooking, you'll also want to take this time to pull out a garlic press, strainer, chopping board, knife, and frying pan. You can also prepare your plates and utensils for eating, or a container if you're preparing this recipe to enjoy at a later time.

Now that the ingredients are ready, you'll need to prepare the vegetables. First, you'll peel and chop the garlic with a garlic press, and then set the garlic aside. If you don't have a garlic press, then you can very finely mince the garlic cloves with a sharp knife.

You'll then wash and drain the green beans in a strainer. Next, transfer the green beans to a chopping board, and chop the edges of the green beans off. Your green beans and garlic are now ready for the following steps! 

After the edges of the green beans have been removed, you'll place sesame seed oil, green beans, salt, chili flakes, and sugar in a frying pan, and then stir for two minutes on medium-high heat.

If you're not familiar with cooking green beans, Olayinka dishes out some necessary advice. "They shouldn't be too soft, and [they] shouldn't be too hard," Olayinka said. "It should be just in the middle. They should be soft with a bit of crunch, so just make sure that readers do not overcook. Also, make sure that the pan is not too overcrowded, which will bring a lot of water out and make them very soggy."

After two minutes of cooking have passed, you'll put hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and chopped garlic cloves in the pan. Stir the ingredients for three minutes. Finally, you can serve the green beans, and enjoy!

If you're wondering what this delicious veggie side dish pairs well with, Olayinka has you covered with some ideas we're certain you'll love. "This would be great with some meat — for example, grilled steak, grilled chicken, a side of fish like cod or trout, or even with some chickpeas or black-eyed beans for [a] vegetarian option," Olayinka notes. You can even enjoy these spicy green beans as a full meal, because they are just that yummy. The recipe calls for two servings, and if you'd like to eat both portions without sharing, we certainly won't tell anyone!