Here’s a 25 minute recipe which only needs rice to round it out and you may have all the ingredients in house. You can leave out the rice wine if necessary and ground turkey or beef would be a fine substitute for the pork. The original version of this Chinese dish is deep fried. I didn’t think most home cooks would want to deep fry on a weeknight (let alone at all.) I also wanted to lighten it up a bit so I figured out a way to crisp the beans without the fat—by broiling them. This ends up being a very tasty, low fat, easy dish to prepare.
Makes 4 servings
Hands-on time: 25 minutes
Total preparation time: 25 minutes
1 garlic clove
1 ½-inch piece gingerroot
1 pound lean ground pork, beef or turkey
6 tablespoons soy sauce
¼ cup rice wine, sake or dry sherry
2 teaspoons sugar
2/3 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 pound green beans
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Mince the garlic clove (about 1 teaspoon) and grate the ginger (about 1 ½ teaspoons). Combine the ground pork with 3 tablespoons of the soy sauce, 3 tablespoons of the wine, 1 teaspoon of the sugar, the garlic and ginger. Combine the broth, vinegar, cornstarch, and sesame oil with the remaining 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon wine, and 1 teaspoon sugar.
Preheat the broiler to high. Toss the green beans with 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Arrange the beans in one layer on a rimmed baking sheet pan and broil, 4 inches from the heat source, turning occasionally, for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown and tender.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat until hot; reduce the heat to medium, add the pork mixture, and cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes or until it is no longer pink. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute. Add the broth mixture and cook for 2 minutes. Add the green beans and cook until they are coated with the sauce and heated through.
