Spicy Szechuan Green Beans Beef (Print Version)
A flavorful stir-fry featuring green beans, minced beef, and bold Szechuan spices with balanced heat.
# What You Need:
→ Stir-Fry
01 - 1 lb fresh green beans, trimmed
02 - 1 lb lean ground beef
03 - 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
04 - 1 small onion, finely diced
05 - 4 garlic cloves, minced
06 - 1-inch piece fresh ginger, grated
07 - 2 scallions, sliced (whites and greens separated)
08 - 1–2 fresh red chilies, thinly sliced (optional)
→ Szechuan Sauce
09 - 3 tablespoons soy sauce
10 - 1 tablespoon lightly crushed Szechuan peppercorns
11 - 1 tablespoon chili bean paste (Doubanjiang)
12 - 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
13 - 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
14 - 2 teaspoons sugar
15 - 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
→ To Serve
16 - Steamed jasmine rice (optional)
# Directions:
01 - Blanch green beans in boiling salted water for 2 to 3 minutes until bright green and tender. Drain and rinse under cold water; set aside.
02 - Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add crushed Szechuan peppercorns and fry 30 seconds until fragrant.
03 - Add ground beef and cook, breaking up with a spatula, until browned and cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer beef to a plate and drain excess fat.
04 - Add remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to the wok. Sauté diced onion, minced garlic, grated ginger, and scallion whites for 2 minutes until softened.
05 - Stir in chili bean paste and cook for 1 minute. Return cooked beef to the wok.
06 - Add blanched green beans and sliced red chilies, if using. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes.
07 - Pour in soy sauce, rice vinegar, Shaoxing wine, sugar, and toasted sesame oil. Toss to evenly coat ingredients and cook 1 to 2 minutes until heated through.
08 - Sprinkle scallion greens over the dish. Serve immediately with steamed jasmine rice if desired.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- It comes together in 30 minutes flat, which means weeknight dinner that tastes like you actually tried.
- That numbing, tingling sensation from Szechuan peppercorns is genuinely addictive and nothing like regular spicy heat.
- The green beans stay crisp and bright, catching all those savory, gingery, complex flavors without going soft.
02 -
- Blanching the green beans first is not an extra step you can skip—it's the difference between beans that stay crisp and beans that turn mushy from the wok's intense heat.
- Those Szechuan peppercorns need 30 seconds of toasting in the oil to release their numbing oils; under-toasting means a flat, dusty flavor, over-toasting makes them bitter.
- Drain the excess fat from the beef after browning it, or the final dish will feel greasy no matter how careful you are with the oil.
03 -
- Keep your wok or pan screaming hot the entire time—a lukewarm wok means the beans and beef steam instead of caramelize, and you lose all that flavor depth.
- Don't walk away once the sauce goes in; those final 1–2 minutes are crucial for emulsifying everything into a silky, flavorful coat.
- Serve immediately over rice; this dish is best eaten the moment it hits the plate, while the beans still have their snap and the sauce is still warm.