Created exclusively for Octonuts by Lisa Lin, this recipe is partly inspired by her mom’s garlic green beans and the Sichuan dish, 干煸四季豆, dry-fried green beans. The green beans are shallow fried in our Cold Pressed California Almond Oil, which is great for high heat cooking. It gently softens the skin on the outside and leaves the green beans tender in the center. Feel free to adjust the amount of chili flakes to your desired level of spice.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds green beans
1 sweet chili pepper (can sub with 1/2 red bell pepper)
1/3 cup Octonuts California Almond Oil

SAUCE

1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
6 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons finely diced shallots
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon chili flakes (depending on desired level of spice)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Serves 4-6

HOW TO

Snap off the ends of the green beans. Then snap them in half. If you have very long green beans, snap them into thirds.

Rinse the green beans. Spread them onto a baking sheet lined with a towel and pat them dry with another towel. Make sure to dry the beans thoroughly. Otherwise, they’ll splatter as they’re being fried.

Line 2 large plates or a baking sheet with paper towels.

Heat 1/3 cup of Octonuts Almond Oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Once hot, add a handful of green beans into the wok. Fry the green beans for 2 to 3 minutes, until you see the outer skin of the beans wrinkle slightly.

Use tongs to transfer the fried green beans to a spider spatula. Give the spatula a shake to shake out some excess oil. Then transfer the green beans to the lined plates (or baking sheet).

Continue frying the remaining green beans in batches. The beans will fry quicker as you cook because the oil will be hotter. If the beans brown too quickly, reduce the heat slightly.

Once the beans are all flash-fried, turn off the heat. Pour out the excess oil into a heat safe bowl, leaving about 1 tablespoon of oil inside the wok. Don’t toss out the oil in the bowl yet.

Heat the wok to medium-high heat again. Add the sliced chili peppers and stir fry for 1 minute. Transfer the peppers to a plate.

In a bowl, mix the cornstarch and water together. Set it aside.

Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of reserved oil into the wok. Add the shallots, garlic, and ginger to the wok and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the chili flakes and stir to combine.

Give the cornstarch and water a quick stir and pour it into the wok. Add the soy sauce, sugar, and salt. Let the sauce simmer for 2 minutes, until it thickens.

Add the green beans and pepper back into the wok and stir everything together. Transfer the green beans to a serving bowl. Enjoy the beans with rice or your favorite dish!

Pour any remaining oil used to fry green beans into a tightly sealed jar and discard in the trash.

TIP 💡 Lisa's Chili Almond Oil Noodles are a great complement to this dish! 

Recipe development, photos and video thanks to Lisa Lin of HealthyNibblesAndBits.com. Follow @hellolisalin on Instagram.