Serve vegetables the family is actually excited about! This crunchy, blistered Chinese Garlic Green Bean Stir-Fry is wok-charred for a delicious smoky flavor, then tossed in garlicky umami seasonings that keep you craving more. Throw them together in only 15 minutes, then devour them with any of your fave entrees! Adding exciting veggies that fam loves to any meal is how you say “I got my life together” (even if it’s only for dinner).
This garlicky green bean stir-fry is one of the easiesssst veggie dishes you can throw together – even last minute! For this version, we’re blanching then stir-frying – which means using a lot less oil than other deep frying recipes AND no greasy mess to clean up with afterward! Just boil them for a couple minutes, toss ‘em in a hot pan with ooomami seasonings, then get them in yo belly! It’s a healthier alternative that hits in under 15 minutes!
Serve it up for family gatherings as a Christmas recipe or Thanksgiving recipe. OR meal prep it for the week with Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry, juicy Char Siu Chicken, or delicious Eggplant Tofu Stir-Fry with Chicken Fried Rice so you can skip the cooking & just fast forward to eating!
🎥 Video: Watch How to Make the Recipe
🥘 Ingredient Tips
- Green Beans: Grab the BEST green beans you can find – aka fresh green beans that are vibrantly green throughout that easily snap! These will have the best texture after cooking. Avoid any green beans that are bruised, have yellow or brown spots, or are limp because they’ll turn sad and soggy.
- Garlic: If my green beans ain’t killin’ off vampires, I don’t want ‘em. Period. There aren’t many ingredients in this green bean stir fry recipe, so grab fresh garlic to mince. Pre-minced garlic from the bottles will splatter everywhere and is not worth the oily attacks on your money maker (aka your beautiful face).
- Shaoxing Wine: This Chinese cooking wine is a MUST to deglaze the pan & give your green beans an instant restaurant-quality taste! Trust, it’s not the same without it (I tried) and you can use it in other Chinese recipes to enhance the flavors in marinades like in Crispy Chinese Lemon Chicken or Beijing Beef, or in sauces like Char Siu Pork Fried Rice or Chicken Lo Mein!
- Soy Sauce: Grab regular soy sauce here for its saltiness & umami! Lee Kum Kee is my fave brand.
- MSG or Chicken Bouillon: This is optional but gives your veggies that extra oomph of flavor!
- Sugar: Adding a pinch of sugar is very common in Chinese cuisine to balance the saltiness from the soy sauce!
For full ingredient list & measurements, see recipe card below.
🔪 How To Make Chinese Green Beans
Everything moves quickly here so make sure all your ingredients are within arm’s reach! Here we go…
Step 1: Heat a medium-sized pot of water on medium-high and bring to a boil. Season with salt, then drop the green beans. Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until they’re vibrantly green, tender, but still has a nice crunch to them!
If you’re unsure, taste one to make sure it’s the texture you like – but keep an eye on them so they don’t overcook! Drain them, rinse under cold water, then pat dry well.
Step 2: Heat a large wok or pan on high heat with about 2 tablespoons of oil. Once hot, add green beans and spread into an even layer. Cook for about 30 seconds untouched to allow them to char and blister. Toss, then repeat the process a couple more times until all the green beans have a little char.
This step adds a delicious smoky flavor to the green beans so make sure they’re charred!
Step 3: Decrease the heat to medium-low, add a little more oil if the pan is looking dry, then toss in the garlic. Cook for a couple of seconds – keep a close eye so the garlic doesn’t burn! It’s SO bitter and unforgiving if it does.
Pour the shaoxing wine along the edges of the pan to deglaze, toss together. Once it’s evaporated, pour the soy sauce along the edges of the wok, season with sugar, MSG or chicken bouillon, and salt. Toss together, taste, and adjust seasonings if needed to your liking. Remove & enjoy as an easy side dish recipe to any of your fave entrees like Char Siu Chicken, creamy Honey Walnut Shrimp, or House Special Lo Mein!
👩🏽🍳 Key Tips
- Trim Evenly: This is crucial! No one wants to dig into a mixture of raw & mushy green beans – blehh! Trim the stems off the green beans & make sure they’re all about the same size so they cook evenly!
- Pat Dry Well: After boiling the green beans, dry them well so they get a nice sear on them! If there’s excess moisture, they’ll end up steaming instead and won’t have that smokey wok hei flavor.
💭 Recipe FAQs
🥗 What to Serve with Chinese Stir Fry Garlic Green Beans
This classic green bean stir-fry recipe is SO versatile, it’s more challenging thinking of what it doesn’t pair well with lol. Dress it up during the holidays for a banquet style dinner alongside a hearty slab of juicy Char Siu Pork or Braised Pork Belly, Wonton Soup, and Bok Choy with Garlic Sauce. Or throw it together as a last-minute weeknight side with Vegetable Lo Mein, Shrimp Fried Rice, or Sesame Chicken!
Let’s get cooking!
Get into my secret stash of Goody-Packed Newsletters with meals planned for you & time-saving tips! Want step-by-step videos of how to make my recipes too? I gotchu over at my youtube channel. Aight, enough chatting, more eating!
Chinese Garlic Green Beans Stir-Fry
Ingredients
BLANCHED STRING BEANS:
- 1 pound string beans washed & ends trimmed
- 1 teaspoon salt
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 head of garlic minced
- ½ tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon MSG or chicken bouillon optional
- 1/8 tsp salt
Instructions
- Blanch the string beans by bringing a large pot of water on medium-high heat to a boil. Sprinkle in salt, then add string beans. Boil for 3-5 minutes, or until they’re vibrantly green & start to soften but still crunchy. Cooking time will depend of the size of your green beans, so keep and eye on them & don’t overcook them, otherwise, they’ll turn mushy in the stir-fry. Remove, run under cold water, then pat dry thoroughly.
- Heat a large wok or pan on high heat with about 2 tablespoons of oil. Once hot, add green beans and spread into an even layer. Cook for about 30 seconds untouched to allow them to char and blister. Toss, then repeat the process a couple more times until all the green beans have a little char.
- Drop the heat to medium-low heat with about a tablespoon of oil if the pan is looking dry. Let the oil cool now so it doesn’t immediately burn the garlic. Once it’s slightly warm, add garlic & saute for a few seconds, until they’re fragrant and start to turn lightly golden. Keep a close eye because garlic can quickly burn and you’ll have to start over! Pour Shaoxing wine along the edges of the pan & stir. Once it’s evaporated, add soy sauce along the edges of the pan, sprinkle in sugar, MSG or chicken bouillon, and salt. Toss together to combine, taste, and adjust seasonings if needed to your liking. Remove & enjoy!
Notes
- Green Beans: Pick the best green beans! Fresh green beans are vibrantly green that snap. Avoid bruised, limp, or yellow or brown spotted green beans because they’ll turn soggy and won’t have a fresh flavor.
- Shaoxing Wine: This is a Chinese cooking wine commonly used is Chinese cuisine to deglaze the pan while cooking or enhance flavors in sauces and marinades. Grab it at your local Asian market – this recipe isn’t the same without it!
- Soy Sauce: We’re using regular (not light or dark soy sauce) for its saltiness.
- MSG or Chicken Bouillon: Optional but recommended for extra oomph of flavor!
- Sugar: This might seem odd to add but sugar is commonly added in Chinese cuisine to balance the saltiness from the soy sauce!
Nutrition
Exact calculations may vary. For the most accurate nutritional information, use your preferred nutrition calculator, actual ingredients, and quantities used for the recipe. Please consult with your physician or registered dietitian if more precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
