[Update 11/23/2014 – Made a batch of these green beans for a Friendsgiving gathering today, and figured there was no time like the present to update the pictures in this post, which is now 2 years old. Not re-writing the post itself though…that’s WAY too ambitious for a Sunday.]
Guys, studying for the bar sucks. I’ve been at it in earnest for about a week now, and not only do I have unbelievable neck/back cricks from hunching over my notes all day, I’m starting to have dreams about the law. It’s not a fun time. Nobody should wake up in a panic over the rules of civil procedure.
With the 12-hours-a-day study regime I’ve put myself on, my eating habits have taken a serious dive. Rocky Road ice cream for breakfast, cold leftover Chinese for lunch, and cheese for dinner. Mmm, fats, carbs, and no vegetables. Brain food!
After a few days of chronic stomach unhappiness, I finally gave in and carved out some time to cook a semi-nutritious lunch for myself. Thanks to the 45-hour power outage we had last weekend our fridge is basically empty, but I managed to find a frozen green beans in the back of the freezer. Hello, Asian-style stir fry.
Growing up, I loved it when my mom made stir fried green beans for dinner. The slightly burnt, super garlicky, crunchy/soggy pieces at the bottom were my favorite — my dad and I would fight over those. These green beans don’t taste exactly like my mom’s, but are easy to make, tasty, and perfect in a pinch. Eaten with some brown rice, kimchi, and chunks of Asian roast pork (recipe forthcoming…maybe), they were just what I needed to face down the rest of my day holed up with my notes.
- 1 bag frozen green beans, thawed and drained (Obviously, fresh would be better. But if you're short on time, the frozen stuff is great.)
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- ½ tbsp sesame oil
- Sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)
- In a large bowl, mix soy sauce, ½ tbsp garlic, pepper flakes, and brown sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved and mixture is uniform.
- Add drained/dried green beans, and toss to coat in sauce
- Heat sesame oil in a pan/wok on medium-high heat. When tiny bubbles start to form in the oil, add remaining minced garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Pour green beans/sauce into the heated, oiled pan. Using a spatula, spread green beans out in a more or less even layer in the pan. Cover, and let cook for about 3-5 minutes.
- Stir/toss green beans to avoid burning, then cover and cook for another 3-5 minutes, until your green beans get soft and you start seeing browned bits at the tips.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired.
- Enjoy immediately, over a bowl of rice.
I love this green bean recipe! My mom use to make something like this but its been so many years, I totally forgot about them. Thanks for bringing back this recipe and sharing it! Now I need to go get some beans!
Yeah, green beans are such an unassuming vegetable, I feel like they get forgotten sometimes. They’re so delicious though!
This looks delicious and your pictures are amazing. Would love for you to share your photos with us at foodepix.com.
Thanks, Jo! Already submitted 🙂
This looks so delicious and convenient to make! I’m also suffering from a lack of vegetables…
It’s a common problem, I hear 😉
I LOVEEEEE green beans!
Thanks, Sarah!
I’m always looking for great taste in a simple recipe. It’s nice to see I’m not the only food blogger using some frozen veggies. Good luck on the bar.
Thank you! And yes, I am all about saving time in the kitchen 🙂
I’ve made these at least 5 times this year. I now cheat a bit and toss the coated green beans on a sheet pan and broil at 400. Just don’t forget to coat the pan in cooking spray or veg. oil first! They come out great and don’t require as much hands on (not sure this works for frozen, but works great for fresh). I served them last night with Ga Kho-Vietnamese Caramelized Spicy Chicken (link: http://www.girlcooksworld.com/2012/07/ga-kho-vietnamese-caramelized-spicy-chicken.html#comment-47123) Outstanding! Thank you.
Thanks, Tim!
How long do you broil the green beans on 400 degrees? Do you shake them around a few times?
Thanks for sharing this recipe! Made it tonight, using fresh green beans & omitting the red pepper flakes, & it was so good! The whole family loved this recipe! Thanks again!
Thanks for the comment! I’m so glad your family liked the recipe 🙂
Tina, Thank you for your recipe, will make for tonight.
Good luck with the bar exam, my daughter took it this summer. I get what you are going through. Keep breathing!
Thanks, Karen! Thankfully, this post is a few years old so I can tell you that I did, in fact, pass the bar exam 🙂 Best of luck to your daughter!!!
LOL!! Good for you. My daughter passed too! She has her first 1st chair trial right now. Good luck to you too.
Awesome! Congrats to your daughter – having been there, I know what a major accomplishment that is. Tell her I say “good luck” on her trial!!!
Are those sesame seeds in the pictures if so I don’t see them in the recipe could you please edit. Thank you
Great catch, thanks! Recipe has been updated to include the sesame seed garnish.
If using fresh green beans, about many ounces/pounds should you use? The recipe looks delicious and I have some fresh green beans that I would like to use , but I’m not sure how much I will need? Thanks!
Phew, good question. I just grab pre-packaged green beans off the shelf, but I’d hazard a guess that it’s about 8-10 oz?
how big a bag of beans we talking?
Made these today!
I used Liquid Aminos instead of Soy sauce!!
Sooo yummy! I’m not a huge fan of spicyness so I probably could have used a bit less of the red pepper flakes, but still soooo yummy!
I served over brown rice and quinoa!
I never knew green beans can look so delicious 😀