Yield: serves 2
Ingredients
1 lb fresh green beans, trimmed
4 garlic cloves
2 jalapenos or other hot chiles
2 T fermented black soybeans
3 T rice vinegar
2 T tamari (or soy sauce)
1.5 t Potato starch (or cornstarch)
1 T brown sugar
2 T sake or other rice wine
Cut the green beans into equal lengths of about 1.5 inches. Blanch the green beans for 3 minutes. Set aside. Mince the garlic. De-seed the jalapenos and finely dice. Mix
together the garlic, jalapeno, and black beans. Set aside. Mix together the rice vinegar, tamari, starch, sugar, and sake. Set aside.
Fill a glass with water and set handy next to the stove. Put a skillet over high heat. When the pan is hot, dump the garlic mixture into the pan. Stir fry for one minute, adding water as the mixture begins to stick -- add just a little at time. Add the green beans
and stir fry for 5 minutes, again adding water just as needed. Add the vinegar mixture, mixing until evenly coated and sauce thickens. Serve immediately.
Comments:
Blanching: bring a *large* pot of water to a rolling boil. Dump in
the green beans, boil for 3 minutes, remove promptly and dump into ice water or run under cold water to stop the cooking.
Fermented black soybeans are available in Asian markets. Usually
labeled "salted black beans". You can usually find them in the preserved food section in plastic bags.
