Asian style Green beans. A unique and easy way to prepare ordinary french green beans. The Asian flavors work unexpectedly well in this Umami laden sauce…
I’m not a vegetarian, and usually stick to the most simple preparation of veggies and salads. Boil Beans or Peas, roast potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and pumpkin, have simple salad with tomato’s lettuce,spring onion, and maybe cucumber. That used to be the case, but not any more. I’m on the 5 2 fast diet, and am always looking for ways to add flavor to all aspects of the fiendish low-calorie days.
Another thing with this diet, is I seem to have an abundance of veggies in the Fridge, right now there are 2 bunches of Asparagus, some Bok Choy, plenty of carrots, red and green peppers, cabbage, cauliflower and I just threw out some leftover bean spouts. In the past, I wouldn’t have had a third of those things in my house, now I’m getting worried about the amount of veggies I’m wasting. I have half a bunch of green beans in the fridge, and I’m not going to waste those, they’re still quite costly at this time of year in NZ.
I had already decided to re-visit these delicious dish Thai Fish cakes http://www.45degrees.co.nz/thai-fish-cakes-low-cal-smash-hit/ and had no idea how to prepare my green beans in a way that would compliment them. A Google search found these intriguing Chinese style green beans http://www.fatsecret.com/recipes/chinese-style-green-beans-in-garlic-sauce/Default.aspx . I wasn’t sure if the Chinese and Thai flavor combo would work, but gave it a go anyway.
- Ingredients
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 150 grams green beans
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 tsp Chicken stock
- Heat sesame oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Stir in the garlic, and cook until the edges begin to brown, about 20 seconds.
- Add a splash of chicken stock to stop the browning, turn down the heat to low/medium
- Add the green beans; cook and stir until the green beans begin to soften, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the oyster sauce,soy sauce, and another splash of chicken stock.
- Simmer until sauce thickens slightly
The Verdict?
An excellent combination of flavours, and the sauce works really well with the Thai fish cakes. No more boring veggies for me!
