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31 Days

Chinese Long Bean Stir-fry

This matters to me because...

Chinese long beans (豆角) have a been a staple vegetable growing up, but I haven't cooked it myself. On top of that, I wanted to learn to stir-fry these using 蒜蓉 (garlic sauce). The ethos of this dish is to try out a new technique with familiar sauces and tastes that I've grown up. Once I've learned and mastered this, I can do this with virtually any kind of vegetable.

Ingredients

  • Chinese long beans (豆角)
  • Garlic
  • Ginger
  • Salt
  • Sugar
  • Cornstarch
  • Water

2 Comments

  • It's amazing how simple garlic, ginger, and salt can do to any vegetable. I feel like I can do this for any vegetable, and it'll be just as good. For heartier vegetables, I definitely should do a quick blanching.
  • Salting is definitely the bane of my existence. I don't add enough of it. Perhaps the best thing to do is to over-salt for a couple meals. Or maybe, I should progressively just add salt--that seems better.

2 Learnings

  • Vegetable storage is important. I left the long beans in a plastic bag after getting them delivered to me. I started to see some mold/dew when I went to use them, but after some vigorous washing, there was no more mold. My parents told me that I should store them in a paper bag after they're dried, to allow for some aeration.
  • I want to work on the consistency of the sauce. A constarch slurry is definitely key, and I know adding to the wok as a last step helps make it so it doens't thicken too much. Yet, it didn't turn out right. I think it's because it's an afterthought. I should have the slurry pre-made, and it should be properly measured out.

References

  • YouTube video that followed relatively closely to replicate the 蒜蓉 stir-fry style: link

  • Reference article for stir-fry style; they use broccoli in this one: link