Sweet & Savory

In Which The Incredibly Shy Vegetable Makes An Appearance

Snake beans are so named because they are green, like string beans. But where their more popular relative has smooth skin, they themselves are covered with a wrinkled and leathery semblance similar to the skin of the namesake reptile. They are also sometimes called yard-long beans because they can grow to the length of a yard (that's a meter for the rest of the world out there). This vegetable, despite its mild taste much like string beans, rarely makes an appearance in any cuisine. In fact, I've only seen it ever used in Asian cooking, and in only one particular dish at that. So, when I picked up a gorgeous bunch of snake beans from my local farmers' market, I knew exactly what I was going to make.

The Food of China, by Deh-Ta Hsiung and Nina Simonds, contained an exemplary version of the dish in question, but I adapted it to fit what I had on hand. I substituted minced chicken breast where the recipe called for ground pork and finely chopped fresh shiitake mushrooms where the traditional dish had preserved mustard cabbage. Also, since I avoid deep fried foods unless absolutely necessary (as in the case of tempura), I opted to pan-fry the snake beans in a scant layer of oil as opposed to the quarter-wok-full dictated by the recipe.

The end result seemed authentic enough. The beans were tender and filled with flavor. The minced chicken gave a good balance to the saltiness of the sesame-soy sauce, where I think the pork would have caused an overwhelming saltiness. The unmistakable aroma of shiitake mushrooms rounded out the dish by helping bring all the flavors together.

Double-Cooked Yard-Long Beans
adapted from The Food of China
by Deh-Ta Hsiung and Nina Simonds

Serves 6

• 2 lbs yard-long (snake) beans
• 6 oz chicken breast, minced
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1½ tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine
• ½ teaspoon roasted sesame oil
• oil for pan-frying
• 5 tablespoons finely chopped fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 3 scallions, finely chopped
• 1½ teaspoons sugar

Diagonally cut the beans into 2 inch pieces. Lightly chop the minced chicken until it becomes slightly fluffy. Put the chicken in a bowl, add 1 teaspoon of the soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of the rice wine and the sesame oil and stir vigorously to combine.

Fill a wok with a scant layer of oil. Heat the oil until very hot. Add about a third of the beans, covering the wok with the lid as they are placed in the oil to prevent the oil from splashing. Cook for 3½ to 4 minutes, stirring constantly, until they are tender and golden brown at the edges. Remove with a wire strainer or slotted spoon and drain. Replace and reheat the oil and repeat with the remaining beans. Pour the oil from the wok, leaving 1 tablespoon.

Reheat the reserved oil over high heat until very hot, add the ground chicken and stir-fry until the color changes, mashing and chopping to seperate the pieces of chicken. Push the chicken to the side and add the shiitake mushrooms and scallions. Stir-fry over high heat for 15 seconds, or until fragrant. Add the beans with the remaining soy sauce and rice wine, sugar and 1 tablespoon water, and return the chicken to the center of the pan. Toss lightly to coat the beans with the sauce.