Sichuan dry fried green beans in a plate

Sichuan dry fried green beans, or Gan Bian Si Ji Dou (干煸四季豆), is a famous traditional Sichuan dish. The fresh green beans are roasted in a pan until blistered and beautifully charred, then tossed with ground pork, pickled mustard greens, ginger, garlic, chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, soy sauce, and wine for a rich and fragrant taste. 

It is one of my favorite ways to cook green beans because it gives them a heavenly texture and a rich taste that goes so well with rice. 

When I would host foreign colleagues and friends back in China, I took countless people to experience real Sichuan food. The Mala Chicken and Dan Dan Noodles might be the most famous ones. But at the end of the day, vegetable dishes like these dry fried green beans and Sichuan Eggplant always won everybody over and became their new favorite dishes.

Homemade dry fried green beans in a plate

Dry fried green beans ingredients

Sui Mi Ya Cai

Sui Mi Ya Cai (碎米芽菜), or Sichuan Sichuan fermented pickled mustard greens, is the secret ingredient that makes this dish very authentic. 

The mustard greens are hand pickled, sliced, and dried. Then they are seasoned with salt and packed into ceramic pots to ferment for three to six months. After the first fermentation, they are boiled with brown sugar for eight to nine hours and then hung out to dry once more. In the final stage, these greens are sealed again with star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, and other spices, for another three to six months. 

The ingredient adds sweetness and a super umami to a dish to make it irresistible.

You can find Sui Mi Ya Cai at most Chinese markets and online. 

If you have Sui Mi Ya Cai, it’s very easy to turn dry fried green beans into a vegan / vegetarian dish without compromising on flavor.

However, if you do not have this ingredient, I highly recommend adding ground meat to the dish to boost the flavor.

Mise en place

When you’re ready to cook, your table should have:

  • Prepped green beans
  • Ground meat
  • Aromatics (ginger, garlic, dried chili pepper)
  • Ground Sichuan peppercorns
  • Sui Mi Ya Cai
  • Seasonings (Shaoxing wine, soy sauce and sugar)
Ingredients for making Sichuan dry fried green beans
Sichuan dry fried green beans close up

Ground pork is often used in this dish, but I’ve tried it with ground chicken, turkey and beef. They all work really well. 

How to cook dry fried green beans

  1. Pan fry the green beans
  2. Take out the green beans once they are blistered and just turning tender
  3. Cook the ground meat, with Sichuan peppercorns and Sui Mi Ya Cai
  4. Add the aromatics
  5. Return the cooked green beans to the pan
  6. Add the rest of the seasonings and stir everything together 
How to make Sichuan dry fried green beans step-by-step

What is dry frying?

Dry frying, or Gan Bian (干煸), is a Chinese cooking technique. It is somewhere between pan searing and deep frying. But it uses less oil, with a longer cooking time, to cook vegetables or meat to slightly dehydrate them, thus creating a crispy and charred surface. The texture of dry-fried vegetables is similar to that of grilled ones, with a hint of smoky flavor. 

Seasonings are added after dry-frying; in this recipe, soy sauce, dried chili peppers, and Szechuan peppercorns are used. The withered surface of the green beans holds the spices well, making for an appetizing, intense, and pungent flavor without using a ton of sauce.

How do I make this dish vegetarian / vegan?

The authentic version always uses ground pork as a way to enhance the flavor of the veggies. For a vegetarian alternative, you can choose from minced rehydrated dried shiitake mushrooms, a bit more Sichuan pickled mustard greens, a spoonful of fermented black beans, or some fermented spicy bean paste (the dish will be slightly spicy). 

Do I need to use a wok?

Yes and no.

In fact, the first part of the cooking, pan roasting the green beans, works better in a skillet than a wok. It provides a larger contact surface and the beans will be cooked more evenly. 

Normally, the second part of the cooking is done in a wok, where you toss the green beans with pork and the rest of the spices. However, I’ve done various experiments and discovered that you can create great results using a skillet, as well. I highly recommend you stay with the skillet, especially if you have an electric stove. For more information, check out why you should stir fry with a frying pan instead of a wok.

Gan bian si ji dou in a pan

Other delicious Sichuan recipes

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Sichuan dry fried green beans feature blistered green beans tossed with a savory aromatic sauce, making this dish too good to pass up! It’s an addictive side dish and substantial enough to serve as a main. {Vegan Adaptable, Gluten Free Adaptable}

Sichuan Dry Fried Green Beans (干煸四季豆)

By Maggie Zhu
4.86 from 42 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 2 to 4
Print
Sichuan dry fried green beans feature blistered green beans tossed with a savory aromatic sauce, making this dish too good to pass up! It’s an addictive side dish and substantial enough to serve as a main. {Vegan Adaptable, Gluten Free Adaptable}
To make this dish Vegan or vegetarian, follow footnote 1.
To make the dish gluten free, replace Shaoxing wine with dry sherry or rice wine. Replace soy sauce with tamari.

Ingredients 

Instructions

  • Pat the green beans dry with paper towels to prevent them from splattering.
  • Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the green beans and a pinch of salt. Stir to coat well with oil. Spread the beans to prevent them from overlapping, as much as possible. Flip every 15 seconds or so. Cook and stir until some of the surface is brown and withered, and the green beans just start to turn soft, 6 to 8 minutes. If you prefer a softer texture, wait until most of the surfaces have charred, 10 to 12 minutes. Turn to medium heat if the pan starts to smoke too much. Transfer the green beans to a plate and set aside.
  • Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, ground pork, pickled mustard greens, and the ground Sichuan peppercorns. Cook and chop the pork to separate it into small pieces, while mixing with the rest of the ingredients.
  • When the surface of the pork has cooked, add the dried chili pepper, garlic, and ginger. Stir a few seconds to release the fragrance. Add back the green beans. Swirl in the Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, and sugar. Cook and stir until the sauce is mostly absorbed, about 1 to 2 minutes.
  • Turn to low heat and carefully taste a green bean with some pork. Adjust seasoning by adding more salt, if needed. Transfer everything to a plate. Serve hot as a side dish or one of the main dishes of a multi-course meal.

Video

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Notes

  1. The purpose of ground pork is to add flavor and texture. It helps a lot, especially when you don’t use the Sui Mi Ya Cai (pickled mustard). You can also use ground chicken or ground beef instead of pork.
    If you choose to skip the ground meat, I highly recommend adding Sichuan pickled mustard greens to enhance the flavor. If you do not have Sichuan pickled mustard greens, adding a bit of chicken bouillon, or 2 tablespoons of fermented black beans, or 1 tablespoon of fermented chili bean paste (Doubanjiang) will help develop the flavor too.
  2. Sichuan pickled mustard greens add savory and sweetness to the dish, making it extra rich. If you do not have pickled mustard greens, 2 tablespoons of fermented black beans, or 1 tablespoon of fermented chili bean paste (Doubanjiang) will work great, too.
  3. The dried chili peppers add a fragrance and smokiness to the dish but not much in terms of heat. If you want the dish to be a bit spicy, break apart the chili peppers before adding them.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 159kcal, Carbohydrates: 14g, Protein: 9.9g, Fat: 7.9g, Saturated Fat: 1.5g, Cholesterol: 21mg, Sodium: 314mg, Potassium: 380mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 4.7g, Calcium: 49mg, Iron: 2mg

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