What do you get when you combine long beans, ginger, soy sauce, and sesame oil? A long beans recipe that makes for an outstanding side dish that takes a quick 15 minutes to make. You need to try this!
Long beans are popular in Asian recipes, but if you’ve never tried cooking with them, this recipe will put a spot for long beans in your heart. This recipe for long beans makes delicious, savory, and crunchy beans, infused with some Asian-inspired flavors. But first:
What are long beans?
What are long beans anyway? The first distinction to make is that, although they may look similar to what are commonly known as “green” beans, they are not the same as the green beans typically found in North American grocery stores. Long beans are more closely related to black-eyed peas. So, let’s dive into what to expect from these lengthy and tasty beans:
How are long beans different from green beans
Long beans are also known as Chinese long beans, asparagus beans, snake beans, or yard-long beans. They are much longer than green beans, they have a different taste, and take longer to cook due to a slightly tougher exterior. This is why long beans can remain crunchy in stir-fries, soups, and stews.
What do long beans taste like
Long beans have a distinct flavor. They are less sweet than green beans and have an earthy, grassy taste. They lend themselves to savory recipes, like this long beans recipe, that combines toasted sesame oil, minced garlic and ginger, anchovy paste, sriracha, and soy sauce.
How to prepare long beans
Appropriately named long beans, these veggies are usually harvested around 18 inches but can reach up to 3 feet long! When you do pick them up from the store, you’ll notice they’re all bunched together in a small heap under their packaging to accommodate their length. Don’t let the mass of beans put you off. You’ll prepare them so that they appear less unruly. They have a crunchy exterior and a softer inside, and you can eat them raw or cooked. If you do plan to cook them, chop the ends off the long beans and cut them into 3-inch lengths. This will make them a more fork- and mouth-friendly size.
Key ingredients
Here is some additional information on the less common ingredients in this recipe:
- Long beans : You can get them at certain grocery stores or sometimes at farmers’ markets. If you can’t find long beans, you can use green beans for this recipe. Consider adjusting the cooking time, as it will take less time to cook green beans.
- Anchovy paste, or minced anchovies : This gives a slight fishy and salty flavor. It isn’t overwhelming or even detectable once the dish is complete, but the umami it brings to the table is huge. If anyone doesn’t eat fish products, as an alternative, you can use miso paste. In that case, we recommend you use low-sodium soy sauce so the dish doesn’t get too salty.
How to make this long beans recipe
- Prepare the beans: Cut the ends off as you usually would, then cut each into 3-inch pieces.
- Blanch the long beans : In a medium-sized pot, bring 3 inches of salted water to a boil. Add the long beans and cook for 2 minutes.
- Cook : Heat the oils in a large frying pan or wok and saute the garlic and ginger for one minute.
- Finish: Add the long beans, anchovy paste, sriracha, and soy sauce and stir well. Cook the beans for 1-2 minutes, or until they are tender but still have some crunch.
Is this a traditional Chinese long beans recipe?
Bold, spicy Sichuan flavors inspire our recipe for long beans. We use Sriracha to make these a little spicy, which is not a traditional Chinese ingredient. But most of us have a bottle in our fridge, and it adds great flavor to these beans.
In addition, we use ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and soy sauce to add loads of flavor to these beans.
We use anchovies to bring this recipe a big umami punch. While we use the Italian variety, using cured fish to add flavor to recipes is common throughout Asia—think fish sauce, salt fish, and Chinese dried anchovies.
While we can’t claim this is a traditional Chinese long bean recipe, we promise it’s delicious!
Long Beans Recipe
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Ingredients
- ▢ 1 lb long beans
- ▢ 1 tablespoon EACH: toasted sesame oil and cooking oil
- ▢ 1 tablespoon EACH: minced garlic and minced ginger
- ▢ 1 tablespoon anchovy paste (or minced anchovies)
- ▢ 1 tablespoon sriracha
- ▢ 1 tablespoon soy sauce
Instructions
- Trim the ends off of the long beans and cut them into 3-inch lengths. 1 lb long beans
- Bring 3 inches of salted water to a boil in a medium-sized pot. Add the long beans and cook for 2 minutes. Drain the water and set the pot aside.
- Heat the oils in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for one minute. 1 tablespoon EACH: toasted sesame oil and cooking oil, 1 tablespoon EACH: minced garlic and minced ginger
- Add the long beans, anchovy paste, sriracha, and soy sauce to the pan and stir well. Cook the beans for 1-2 minutes, or until they are tender but still have some crunch. Serve right away. 1 tablespoon anchovy paste, 1 tablespoon sriracha, 1 tablespoon soy sauce
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here .
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More Asian-inspired side dishes
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Black Rice Salad with Mango and Cashews
Best Asian Salad Recipe with Sesame Ginger Dressing
Long Beans Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb long beans
- 1 tablespoon EACH: toasted sesame oil and cooking oil
- 1 tablespoon EACH: minced garlic and minced ginger
- 1 tablespoon anchovy paste , or minced anchovies
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
Instructions
- Trim the ends off of the long beans and cut them into 3-inch lengths. 1 lb long beans
- Bring 3 inches of salted water to a boil in a medium-sized pot. Add the long beans and cook for 2 minutes. Drain the water and set the pot aside.
- Heat the oils in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for one minute. 1 tablespoon EACH: toasted sesame oil and cooking oil, 1 tablespoon EACH: minced garlic and minced ginger
- Add the long beans, anchovy paste, sriracha, and soy sauce to the pan and stir well. Cook the beans for 1-2 minutes, or until they are tender but still have some crunch. Serve right away. 1 tablespoon anchovy paste, 1 tablespoon sriracha, 1 tablespoon soy sauce
