Dry-Cooked String Beans (乾煸四季豆)

Somehow, it's been over two years since I've done an interpretation of a Peimei dish. Since moving to South Dakota, my access to Chinese vegetables has been irregular. The only ones to be found in Vermillion are napa and the big white bok choy. I'm not a huge fan of the big bok coy (as opposed to the smaller, green Shanghai bok choy) and, while I like napa, it's better as a component than as its own dish. As such, I've turned more to broccoli and string beans to fill in. 

Dry-cooked string beans are one of the most recognizable dishes from Sichuan province in western China. The Chinese name ganbian sijidou does directly translate to "dry-cooked string beans." Traditionally, the beans are deep fried, which dries them out and gives them a wrinkly appearance. Much of what I've read about the dish online looks for ways to get around the deep frying, which is kind of a hassle. Interestingly, Kenji uses a broiler. I've chosen to stir fry. 

The interesting exotic ingredients here are the preserved vegetables. Peimei's recipe calls for zhacai, while others I've seen use yucai. Both are varieties of Sichuanese preserved mustard greens. As I don't have access to either right now, I used sauerkraut instead. It didn't occur to me while I was cooking, but it hit me when eating that Peimei's recipe lacks garlic. I think this would really kick it up a notch, so I've included it in the recipe.

Ingredients

• 3/4 lb. string beans
• 1 1/2 oz. preserved mustard greens (zhacai or yacai) or sauerkraut
• 1 1/2 oz. ground pork
• 1 1/2 Tbs. dried shrimp
• 1 tsp. minced ginger
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (not used here, but recommended)
• 1 Tbs. light soy sauce
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. black vinegar
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• Salt to taste

Instructions

If using sauerkraut, rinse, drain, and chop. If using mustard greens, chop if necessary. Soak the dried shrimp in warm water at least 10 minutes. Remove any legs from the shrimp and finely chop. Reserve 2 Tbs. of the soaking water. 

Heat oil in a wok on as high heat as possible. Stir fry the beans, tossing frequently, until scorched. Working in batches would help cook them evenly. 

Set the beans aside and add more oil as necessary. Stir fry the mustard greens/sauerkraut, pork, shrimp, ginger, and garlic until the pork is cooked. Return the beans to the pan. Add soy sauce, shrimp water, and sugar. Stir fry until the sauce has cooked off. Add vinegar and sesame oil. Stir together, salt to taste, and serve with rice.