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    Home » Cuisine » Asian » Chinese

    Stir Fried Chinese Long Beans with Garlic

    Published: Dec 6, 2011 · Modified: Oct 27, 2014 by Jennifer Che


    This post is part of a larger series: An Asian Twist on a Traditional Holiday Meal. Other posts in this series include Chinese Oven Roasted Duck, Keroppi Cookies,Totoro Cookies, and Taro Fries.

    Have you ever seen Chinese long beans? It's got a ton of alternate names, such as the Snake Bean, 豇豆 (Chinese), or even the long podded cowpea (?!).

    Though similar to the American green bean, this bean is actually a different species and typically grows about 1 ½ feet long! It's less "crunchy" than normal string beans, but more dense, and I think has a sweeter and nuttier flavor.

    As part of my Asian-inspired Thanksgiving, I decided to replace the traditional green bean casserole with these lovely, garlic stir-fried long beans. These long beans are so easy to make, and give a huge bang for your buck in terms of cost, time spent, and nutrition.

    I've always loved the Chinese way of preparing vegetables because nothing is ever cooked for too long. Beans only stay in the hot wok briefly before coming back out. With this cooking method, vegetables keep their nutrients, flavor, and bright green color.

    These long beans only take about 10 minutes to prepare, which is definitely easier, faster (and probably healthier) than a traditional green bean casserole.

    Chop long beans into 2 inch segments, prepare a hot wok with oil, briefly brown garlic, and then add the beans. You may need to add a bit of water and cover for a minute or two, but that's it!
    So easy, and so, so good.

    Stir Fried Garlic Chinese Long Beans
    1 bunch of Chinese long beans (about ½ lb)
    2 T vegetable oil
    1 T garlic, minced
    ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
    1 teaspoon soy sauce (or to taste)


    Cut up long beans into 2 inch segments. Heat work to medium high heat. Add vegetable oil and minced garlic. When garlic begins to slightly brown, add beans. Add about 1 tablespoon of water, cover, and steam. Wait about 5 minutes, or until beans are cooked through. Add salt and soy sauce to taste.You can optionally add a bit of sugar or hoisin sauce as well if you like it sweet, but I didn't add any.

    Enjoy!

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    All Rights Reserved

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    Trackbacks

    1. 10 Good Fortune Meals Chinese New Year says:
      March 8, 2015 at 8:05 pm

      […] Stir Fried Chinese Long Beans […]

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    2. Delicious Bacon Ranch Chicken - Grace Elizabeths says:
      March 16, 2015 at 10:51 am

      […] looking for the perfect side dish for the chicken, Alex came across a recipe by Jen over at Tiny Urban Kitchen called “Stir-fried Chinese Long Beans”.  I already had fresh green beans in the refrigerator which I bought at the market. Even though […]

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    3. Kick The Shit Out of Plan B - My Bizzy Kitchen says:
      June 8, 2015 at 8:18 am

      […] I saw a bunch of long beans.  Huh.  As I stood there I jumped on my iPhone and found this recipe that I think will most closely recreate this dish – and they were only .99 cents a pound!  […]

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    4. traditional chinese new year recipes to bring you good fortune - yoyomama says:
      January 29, 2016 at 2:48 pm

      […] Stir Fried Chinese Long Beans with Garlic: to represent a long life for parents. […]

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    5. Week 9: Nope, still no rain | Movement Ground Farm says:
      August 16, 2016 at 8:15 pm

      […] Stir fried Chinese long beans with garlic – tiny urban kitchen […]

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    6. Stir-fried long bean oyster sauce says:
      May 3, 2017 at 4:34 am

      […] December 6, 2011 by Jennifer Che 16 Comments […]

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    7. Smell the Lemongrass & Week 9 | Movement Ground Farm says:
      August 27, 2019 at 3:40 pm

      […] Photo of Stir Fried Long Beans with Garlic by Tiny Urban Kitchen […]

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    Jennifer Che Tiny Urban Kitchen

    Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am an expat who moved from Boston to Hong Kong 5 years ago. Born and raised in Ohio to Taiwanese immigrant parents, I am a chemistry nerd, patent attorney by day, blogger by night, church musician on weekends, and food enthusiast always. Feel free to explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!

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