Stur Fry Box is back with another traditional Chinese dish that will always be loved by your vegetarian and vegan friends. Chinese and Asian cuisine, in general, is precepted as sweet and sour chicken, meat stir-fries, and lots of noodles with meat and vegetables. Yes, we agree that Chinese and Japanese food uses their vegetables well with the poultry and meats, but where is the vegetarian part?
Honestly, the Asian cuisines are packed with flavor and vegetables in so many ways that there was no issue for them to have the flavor introduced in the green and tasty vegetables. But today, we are going to introduce a dish that is usually considered a side dish. We at Stur Fry Box welcome our vegetarian friends warmly to order and delicious vegetable dishes that they can munch on. And we guarantee that not only the vegetarian will love it, but the carnivore friends of ours will also not be able to stop themselves from eating them as well.
Enough with the description and explanations, we are talking about the Burnt Garlic Green Beans. This dish has been around in Chinese cuisine for many centuries and is loved to be cooked at feasts, festivals, and even on the normal days when the green beans are at the full harvest. The green beans have this unique texture and flavor of their own that have always amused us in many ways. That snappy green casing that is completely edible has an earthy flavor. At the same time, the inside has little pods of beans that have a sweet flavor as well. Together they make a perfect melody of texture and flavor. But this dish is going to another level of umami flavors since the main element of the dish is the Burnt Garlic.
You will notice how the flavor of the garlic can be intensified by browning it, but we are taking it to another level by slight burning and charring it to go a little further than brown. You will notice there will be no bitter flavor or mouthfeel. No burnt and intensified smell of the garlic in the green beans is how that culinary perfection in Chinese cuisine works. Honestly, it is so good and mind-blowing with the smokiness as well.
Now let us talk about the cooking method. There are traditionally two methods of cooking the Burnt Garlic Green Beans. After experimenting with both and trying them out with the tastebud of an Indian, we have decided on cooking the green beans by flash frying them and then tossing them in the wok with garlic and butter that gives the beans maximum flavor along with the perfectly cooked yet snappy texture ideal to be eaten with rice and alone with the chopsticks.
You will be surprised to know how minimalist this dish is. All it needs is a heap of garlic, soy sauce, broth, pepper, and a few other condiments. We start with cooking the garlic to the point that it is almost burnt under controlled heat. This is where the magic happens, and the garlic releases the umami flavor in the oil. Then we add green beans, seasoning, and other condiments for making it super delicious. The perfect way to enjoy them!