Szechuan green beans make a great side dish for almost any meal. This recipe combines the flavors of Szechuan peppercorns, dried chili peppers, green onion, garlic, and ginger to make an amazingly tasty side dish. The Szechuan peppercorns give a unique aromatic flavor with a bit of a numbing quality. The dried chili peppers give this dish additional heat as well as flavor. Try this Szechuan green bean recipe and let me know what you think in the Chinese food forum found here. Enjoy!

To watch a video for these instructions click here

12oz fresh green beans
1 small green onion
¼ inch piece of fresh ginger
1½ cloves garlic
4 dried chili peppers
1 tsp Szechuan peppercorns
2 tbsp peanut oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
½ tbsp brown sugar

1. Rinse the green beans in a colander under cold running water. Then dry them with paper towels. Snap off the ends and discard. Cut the longer green beans in half so that they are all about 1 ½ to 2 inches in length. Then set them aside.


2. Rinse the green onion under cold running water and dry it with paper towels. Cut off the base and about an inch or so from the top of the greens. Cut the remaining stalk into thin slices and set them aside.


3. Peel the ginger and then cut it into tiny pieces.


4. Using the side of a knife, smash the garlic. Then remove the peel and cut it into tiny pieces.


5. Cut off the tops of the dried chilies. Then cut each chili into 3 equal sized pieces.


6. Using a mortar and pestle, lightly grind the Szechuan peppercorns and then set them aside.


7. Next, heat a wok or large non stick pot on high. Once hot add just one tablespoon of the peanut oil and let it get hot.


8. When the oil is hot add the green beans and stir fry them for about 7 minutes, or until they start to brown in spots.


9. Once they brown in spots turn off the heat, remove them from the wok and place them on a plate lined with paper towels.


10. Then add the remaining tablespoon of peanut oil to the wok and heat it on high.


11. Once hot, add the dried chili peppers and ground Szechuan peppercorns. Stir fry them for just 10 seconds.


12. Then add the ginger, garlic, and green onion. Stir fry everything for another 20 seconds.


13. Return the green beans to the wok and add the soy sauce and sugar.