Sauteed String Beans & Chicken

I tend to have quite a few Asian-inspired dishes in my repertoire and Chinese food is one of our go-to cuisines when cooking at home is just not going to happen. I've tried for so many years to recreate authentic versions of our favorite Chinese dishes at home, and while the results are tasty, rarely do they mirror what we get from our favorite local takeout place. Years ago, my mother and I took a Chinese cooking class in San Antonio. We watched carefully, took notes and went home with our packets of recipes. We tried to replicate (my all time favorite) Hot & Sour soup. Hours of time were spend and all manner of unusual ingredients were purchased. And, again, while it was tasty, it just wasn't that satisfyingly wonderful bowl of soup. The return on investment was nil.

Tonight, I decided to try my hand at one of our faves - Sauteed String Beans and Chicken - there is just something about those charred and blistered string beans, the garlic and the tender chicken with the savory, salty sauce - a seemingly light choice in what can sometimes be a sea of fried and sauced options.

Here's what I did...

Sauteed String Beans and Chicken

• 11/2 lbs of string beans
• 1/4 C peanut oil
• 1 shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic minced or pushed through a garlic press
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 in. cubes (place in bowl with 3-4 Tbsp of soy sauce and 3-4 Tbsp of sake or rice wine to marinate for about 30 minutes but as little as 10 minutes is good, too.)

sauce

1½ teaspoons light sake

1½ teaspoons black bean sauce

½ teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon sugar

1. Rinse green beans; trim ends and cut into 2 in. pieces. Allow beans to dry thoroughly (even to the extent of patting dry) as any bits of water will cause the hot oil to sputter.
2. Mix sauce. Stir together sake, black bean sauce, sesame oil and sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves and then, set aside.
3. Heat a large skillet (preferrably a wok, if you have it) over high heat until a drop of water sputters and evaporates. Add the peanut oil and swirl the pan to coat the bottom. Add the green beans and stir-fry for about 5-6 minutes. Keep beans moving in the pan to get a good char without scorching completely. When beans are blistered and wilted, turn off heat and remove beans to a paper towel lined plate.
4. Replace wok or skillet over high heat(my wok was still well oiled, but if needed, add a little oil) and toss in chicken. Keep chicken pieces moving to cook completely and get a good sear/browning.Cook for 5-6 minutes. Remove chicken to a bowl.
5. Add shallot and garlic to the wok and saute until soft and caramelized. Return beans and chicken to the wok. Stir in sauce and cook over med-hi heat until all of the items are well coated and the sauce reduces a bit. Serve with steamed white rice and enjoy!

This dish ended up to be a pretty faithful copy of takeout. Next time, I might add some red chili flakes to the shallots and garlic portion of the saute for a little extra kick. Family rating was "pretty good... pretty, pretty good." and there were no leftovers which is always a good sign.

Maybe I need to give that hot and sour soup another whirl...

Happy Cooking!

sld

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