A quick and flavourful side dish with a little kick. Serve it with tonkatsu, dumplings, or anything you like—it’s easy to mix and match to your preference.

Preparation time: 15–20 minutes

Serves: 2

Vegetarian (vegan option available)

Ingredients

• 200 g flat beans or green beans
• 2 garlic cloves
• 4–6 dried whole chilies (find them in Asian grocery stores)
• 1 tsp fish sauce (vegan: skip this)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp Szechuan pepper
• 1 spring onion
• 1 tsp roasted sesame seeds
• 2 tsp sugar
• Optional: 1 tsp rice wine 

Note: Raw beans contain lectins, which can be toxic. Always boil them before consumption.

Directions

1. Rinse the beans and trim the ends.

• If using flat beans, slice them into bite-sized pieces and boil for 7 minutes.
• If using green beans, boil for 5 minutes.

2. Drain the beans and rinse them with cold water to stop the cooking process.
3. Finely chop the garlic and slice the entire spring onion (both white and green parts).
4. In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, fish sauce (if using), and sugar.
5. Grind the Szechuan pepper in a mortar and pestle.
6. Heat a pan over medium-high heat and add 2–3 tbsp of oil.
7. Add the beans, garlic, the white part of the spring onion, whole dried chilies, and Szechuan pepper. Stir-fry for 3–5 minutes.
8. Pour in the soy sauce mixture and cook for another 2–3 minutes.
9. Serve with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and the green part of the spring onion on top.