I normally don't care for fresh green beans (too fuzzy) but had bought a bag one day because they looked so fresh. When I got home, I flipped through half a dozen cookbooks looking for some compelling new way to fix them. This is it. From "Still Life with Menu Cookbook". REALLY tasty!
1 lb. fresh green beans, trimmed but left long
1-1.5 T sesame oil (I used the darker toastier Korean variety)
4-6 cloves garlic
1-2 dried chilies (the tiny red ones they sometimes put whole into Chinese dishes)
1/2 t. salt
Chop garlic and chilies together (the garlic helps keep the chili fragments from jumping off the cutting board while being chopped).
Place a large skillet over medium-high heat (a wok is good too, but only if you have a gas stove and more than 5 square inches of the bottom get HOT). After heating for a minute or so, add 1 T of sesame oil. Wait another minute or so and add green beans. Turn heat up to high and stir-fry for 5-6 minutes, or until the beans are well-seared (don't stir too much or you won't get some of the extra-nice browned wrinkly ones).
Turn down to medium. Scoot beans to the side and add the garlic and chili in the middle with a little extra oil. Stir-fry for a few seconds, then stir in with the beans. Sprinkle on salt. Stir it all together and fry a few minutes longer... you want the garlic starting to brown and get crispy, but not burning. Remove from heat.
The recipe says you can serve hot, warm, or at room temperature. I've tried it all ways... warm or room temperature tastes WAY better to me.
