Spicy Szechuan Green Beans Minced Beef (Print version)

A vibrant stir-fry of crisp green beans and savory minced beef with bold, spicy Szechuan seasoning.

# What you need:

→ Stir-Fry

01 - 1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
02 - 1 pound lean ground beef
03 - 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
04 - 1 small onion, finely diced
05 - 4 garlic cloves, minced
06 - 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
07 - 2 scallions, sliced (whites and greens separated)
08 - 1 to 2 fresh red chilies, thinly sliced (optional)

→ Szechuan Sauce

09 - 3 tablespoons soy sauce
10 - 1 tablespoon Szechuan peppercorns, lightly crushed
11 - 1 tablespoon chili bean paste (Doubanjiang)
12 - 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
13 - 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
14 - 2 teaspoons sugar
15 - 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

→ To Serve

16 - Steamed jasmine rice (optional)

# Directions:

01 - Boil salted water and blanch green beans for 2 to 3 minutes until tender-crisp and bright green. Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
02 - Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add crushed Szechuan peppercorns and fry for 30 seconds until aromatic.
03 - Add ground beef, break apart, and cook until fully browned, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove beef and drain excess fat.
04 - Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the wok. Sauté onion, garlic, ginger, and scallion whites for 2 minutes until softened.
05 - Stir in chili bean paste and cook for 1 minute. Return browned beef to the wok and combine.
06 - Add blanched green beans and sliced chilies if using. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes to combine flavors.
07 - Pour in soy sauce, rice vinegar, Shaoxing wine, sugar, and toasted sesame oil. Toss to coat ingredients and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes until heated through.
08 - Sprinkle scallion greens over the stir-fry and serve immediately with steamed jasmine rice if desired.

# Expert advice:

01 -
  • The green beans stay impossibly crisp while the beef soaks up every drop of that tingly, spiced sauce.
  • It's faster than takeout and tastes like you've been cooking Szechuan food your whole life.
  • One pan, thirty minutes, and you've got something that makes rice disappear from the bowl.
02 -
  • Don't skip blanching the green beans, it's the only way to keep them from turning into sad, mushy things in the wok.
  • The Szechuan peppercorns need to be crushed, not ground, or they disappear into nothing and you lose that distinctive tingly numbness.
  • Let the chili bean paste cook for that full minute, it needs time to bloom and release its deep, funky flavor into the oil.
03 -
  • Buy whole Szechuan peppercorns and toast them yourself right before cooking, the difference is night and day compared to pre-ground.
  • The secret is not to rush the aromatics phase, those 2 minutes of letting garlic, ginger, and onion soften together is where the foundation of flavor gets built.
  • Keep your wok or skillet screaming hot throughout, the whole dish comes together in minutes because everything is supposed to cook fast.

Return