Asian Green Beans

My CSA share for the past 2 weeks has had bunches of green beans.  The fun thing about CSA shares is that you are given items that you may not have thought to buy that week, and you have to be creative.  Bored with plain green beans, I thought I'd try giving them an Asian twist. 

I pulled out my wok, recalled the skills I learned from a Chinese cooking class, and created a delicious accompaniment to the General Tso's chicken I made that night. 

*You can use a regular saute pan if you don't own a wok.

Asian Green Beans

• 1 pound green beans
• Canola oil (for wok)

For the sauce:

• 1 T hoisin sauce
• 1 T Tamari (dark soy sauce)
• 2 tsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
• 1 & 1/2 tsp sugar

To finish:

• 1 T chopped garlic
• 1 T chopped fresh ginger
• 2 scallions, white part only, chopped
• 1/2 tsp red chili paste

Wash the green beans and drain thoroughly. Trim the ends.
In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients and set aside.

Heat the wok on medium heat and add 2 T oil.  Coat the wok all around with the oil.  When the oil is hot (it will shimmer and sizzle when a drop of water is thrown in), add the beans. Stir-fry for 7 - 10 minutes, until beans are bright green and just tender.  Set aside.

Heat 1 T oil in the wok on medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the chopped garlic, ginger and scallions. Stir-fry briefly for a few seconds until aromatic. Add the chili paste.

Add the green beans to the sauce and toss to coat.  Serve hot, and enjoy!
 
To learn more about CSA shares, I recommend reading Sharing the Harvest.