Stir Fry Long Beans

Crunchy and tasty Stir Fry Long Beans flavored with garlic, ginger, chilies, and fermented soy beans. Delicious served with steamed rice or congee.

Long beans are the lesser known cousin of the ever popular green beans a.k.a. french beans in Malaysia. These willowy beans come in two varieties. On is thicker and lighter in color and the other is more slender and darker in color. There is one other variety known as snake beans which are more fleshy with a more textured skin. The latter is new to me as I have never seen nor tasted it back when I was in the old country.

Over here in the US, I can only find the slender, dark green variety which by the way is my favorite kind. They are a little bit more expensive than green beans but I cannot help but bring home a bunch whenever I see them are the Asian market. Long beans are not only great in stir fries but they are also delicious in curries, fried rice, and omelets.

They need to be cooked for a slightly longer period of time because they can be quite firm. However, you do not want to overcook them to the point where they loose their crunchiness. Of course it is a matter of preference but I do like mine slightly crunchy. A little sugar is added to balance the saltiness of the fermented soy beans.

The main flavoring in today’s Stir Fry Long Beans is tau cheow (fermented soy beans) which makes a tasty sauce. Fermented soy beans are pretty salty and so a little sugar is needed to neutralize it. I also added some garlic, ginger, and chilies to complement the flavor. The result is a crunchy veggie with a slightly salty, spicy, and fragrant sauce.

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Stir Fry Long Beans with Fermented Soy Beans

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

8 mins

Total Time

23 mins

 

Crunchy and tasty Stir Fry Long Beans flavored with garlic, ginger, chilies, and fermented soy beans. Delicious served with steamed rice or congee.

Course: Side Dish, Vegetables

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings: 4

Calories: 147 kcal

Author: Linda Ooi

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 inch ginger (minced) (30g)
• 2 red chilies (seeded and cut into pieces)
• 2 tbsp fermented soy beans (drained and minced)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 lb long beans (cut into 2 inch lengths) (450g)
• ¼ cup water (60ml)

Instructions

1. Heat a wok or large fry pan. Add vegetable oil and swirl it around to coat the wok or fry pan.
2. Add garlic and ginger. Sauté for 20 seconds. Then add red chilies and sauté for another 20 seconds.
3. Add fermented soy beans and sugar. Continue to stir fry for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant.
4. Add prepared long beans and water. Stir fry for another 5 minutes or until long beans are tender and sauce has thicken.
5. Turn off stove and transfer vegetables to a serving dish.

This Stir Fry Long Beans side dish can be served with rice or plain white congee. Do give it a try.