Farmers Market Find: Chinese Long Beans

Emma Christensen
Emma Christensen
Emma is a former editor for The Kitchn and a graduate of the Cambridge School for Culinary Arts. She is the author of True Brews and Brew Better Beer. Check out her website for more cooking stories
updated May 12, 2022
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(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

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?

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

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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(Image: Emma Christensen)

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Vegetables
Ingredient