Check out these beautiful, curling beans! They almost look like they should go into a bouquet rather than a skillet, don't you think? Have you ever cooked with these beans?
Variously called snake beans, yardlong beans, or asparagus beans, Chinese long beans are a quick-growing variety of cowpea. This bunch contained pods roughly the length of my forearm and as skinny as a drinking straw.
In flavor, Chinese long beans are very similar to the common backyard green bean most of us grew up eating. I find that they hold up better to cooking, staying crisper and more firm even after being simmered in a broth or reheated.
They're also easier to prepare than green beans. For Chinese long beans, I just trim off the root end and chop them into bite-sized pieces (or use kitchen shears!). The long length means that I can just line up a whole handful and chop them from one end to the other without pausing.
I'm planning to use this bunch in a batch of coconut-infused Thai curry. Future bunches will most certainly find their way into some of these dishes:
• Sichuan Style Stir-Fried Long Beans from Simply Recipes
• Long Beans with Garlic, Ginger, and Black Bean Sauce from Macro Chef
• Indian-Style Stir Fried Long Beans and Chickpeas from My Diverse Kitchen
What's your favorite way to cook long beans?
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I boil bite-sized pieces until tender, shock them in ice water, and then toss them in a soy-based vinagrette for a cool summer salad.
in the west indies- we call this "bora"...don't ask why-cause I don't know.
we usually fry the hell out of it w/ a tiny bit of oil, garlic and onions...until the edges are just crispy black. and serve with rice.
we also cut them up and add them to chow mein or fried rice.
in the philippines, this vegetable is called "sitaw". i add this vegetable to my pork "adobo"....
Throw them in the pok pok for real som tam (green papaya salad)! I love long beans.
I get these from my Asian supermarket and much prefer them over the smaller green beans. Not really for the taste (though I do agree that they stay crisper in stir-fries), but for the quick prep! :)
It's not as much related to green beans as it is black-eyed peas, and I find it tastes quite different from green beans - grassier maybe. I cook with it all the time in SE Asian dishes.
It's not as much related to green beans as it is black-eyed peas, and I find it tastes quite different from green beans - grassier maybe. I cook with it all the time in SE Asian dishes.
It's not as much related to green beans as it is black-eyed peas, and I find it tastes quite different from green beans - grassier maybe. I cook with it all the time in SE Asian dishes.
yes, of course.....jaffna style curry...yum.....
Anyone have good tips on how to get these nice and crunchy when cooking them Chinese-style? I've only had success deep frying them until they get nice and wrinkled and then tossing them in sauce, but if there's a way to replicate it in a stir/shallow fry that would be somewhat healthier I think!
@shady lane - You'll need a tiny bit of oil for the aromatics (garlic mostly), but you can use broth / water for the most part. Make sure the beans are completely dry before cooking. Heat up the wok, then put in a small amount of oil for your aromatics and heat till till a small piece of garlic sizzles immediately when dropped in, then stir fry your aromatics briskly till fragrant. Put in the beans and stir vigorously. Add *small* amounts of liquid at a time (water / broth) to allow steam to rise and cook the beans - allow this to dry completely before adding the next batch. As soon as the beans turn bright green evenly all over, quickly add your other seasonings, toss well, and take off the heat. Minimum oil and turns out crunchy for me every time yum!
Dice them up, saute them for a bit and break an egg or two over it - great omelette that goes well with white steamed rice.
@irry will try - thanks!