Sweet and Spicy Green Beans

Welcome back to QCK!

Today I’m sharing an awesome green bean recipe with you. These are so easy but good enough to impress all your friends at the next dinner party.

The inspiration for this recipe comes from the green beans at one of my favorite Chinese fast food spots at the mall (lol), but these are definitely better. The green beans are steamed and then tossed in a super easy honey soy glaze and drizzled with chili oil. They have a lot of great texture and complimenting flavors.

This recipe pulls a lot from Asian culture and the flavors used in their dishes.

I love this recipe this time of year because green beans are coming into season. These are totally different from those overcooked, mushy, flavorless green beans you got at school lunch. Fresh green beans, that are cooked properly, are soft but with a nice bite.

This is the perfect side dish to go with your backyard bbq because the sweet/heat combo pairs perfectly with grilled meats and a cold beer.

Plus chili oil is really “in” right now and it’s always fun to cook with ingredients and flavors that are really popular and find out what people love about them and why they’re so big all the sudden.

Substitutions and Add On’s

• If you don’t have chili oil ready to go, you can make a quick easy one by adding fermented chili paste to olive oil.
• If you don’t have fermented chili paste, you can add red pepper flakes to your sauté.
• If you want to add a little “funk” you can add 1/2 tsp of fish sauce to the glaze.

Recipe

Prep: 5 Mins

Cook: 20 Mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb Fresh Green Beans
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Clove Garlic, minced
• 1 tsp Fresh Ginger, minced
• 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
• 1/2 Small Yellow Onion, Diced
• 1 tsp Fermented Chili Paste
• 1 tsp Chicken or Vegetable Stock
• 1 Tbsp Honey
• 2 tsp Soy Sauce
• Salt to taste
• Chili Oil, for drizzling

Directions

1. If you don’t have chili oil on hand, you can make some by combining 1 Tsbp of dried, crushed red pepper flakes and 2 C of extra virgin olive oil in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Simmer until the oil turns bright orange, about 5 minutes, set aside to cool.
2. In a medium pot, add enough water to just cover all the green beans, add salt and bring to a boil.
3. Add the green beans, cover, and cook until bright green and soft with just a little bit of bite. 5-10 minutes.
4. In a medium sauté pan, over medium heat add oil, garlic, onion, ginger and red pepper flakes. Sauté until onion becomes translucent, 3-5 minutes.
5. Add fermented chili paste, honey, chicken stock and soy sauce. Stir and simmer until a glaze forms, it should be close the the consistency of honey.
6. Add green beans and toss. Salt to taste.
7. Remove from heat, place green beans on a plate or serving dish and drizzle with chili oil.

As always, I hope you enjoyed this recipe! If you tried it out let me know in the comments. For more recipes check out my homepage and follow along on Instagram. Don’t forget to like, follow, comment and share. Thanks for reading! 

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