Wonderfully tender-crisp and well seasoned, these Chinese green beans are one of my favorite side dishes.
The secret to delicious Chinese green beans is sautéing them until tender-crisp and not a second longer. The tasty sauce – garlic, ginger, soy sauce and honey – is super flavorful.
I like green beans. Simple boiled green beans, liberally salted, are wonderful.
I also love spicy green beans. When tender-crisp, rather than limp and lifeless, green beans are like a salty, spicy snack. They are also very healthy!
The ingredients you’ll need
You’ll only need a few simple ingredients to make this tasty side dish. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here’s an overview of what you’ll need:
- Avocado oil
- Fresh green beans
- Minced garlic
- Minced fresh ginger
- Light soy sauce (or a gluten-free alternative)
- Honey
- Sesame oil
- Sesame seeds
How to make Chinese green beans
It’s so easy! Scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
- Stir-fry the beans in the oil.
- Add the garlic and ginger and cook briefly.
- Next, add the soy sauce and the honey.
- Add the water. Cover and steam until tender-crisp. This should take about 2 minutes.
- Off heat, drizzle with the sesame oil and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.
Should I parboil the green beans?
Some recipes for Chinese green beans will instruct you to parboil the beans prior to sautéing them.
I lack the patience for that. I much prefer the method of simply adding a small amount of water to the pan after sautéing the green beans.
One-step cooking is always better than two-step cooking, and washing one pot is preferable to washing two!
Is soy sauce healthy?
Soy sauce is high in sodium, and it’s obviously not gluten-free or paleo. But I think it’s OK in moderation.
If you disagree, or if you need to avoid gluten, there are excellent gluten-free and paleo alternatives that you can use instead.
How to serve these Chinese green beans?
You don’t have to serve them with an Asian-style main dish. They are wonderful with any meat or fish.
I often serve them with grilled chicken breast. They are also very nice alongside fried eggs, for a tasty and healthy meatless meal.
Still, obviously, they pair well with Chinese-style dishes. So I often serve them with Asian meatballs or with Chinese spare ribs.
What about leftovers?
You can keep leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. Reheat them in the microwave on 50% power. Sometimes I just snack on them cold – they are surprisingly good that way!
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Chinese Green Beans
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 lb. green beans, ends trimmed
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce (or use a gluten-free alternative and add salt as needed)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the green beans. Stir-fry for 2 minutes.
- Add the garlic and ginger. Stir-fry 1 more minute.
- Add the soy sauce and honey. Stir-fry 2 more minutes
- Add the water. Cover and steam until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes.
- Turn the heat off. Drizzle the Chinese green beans with sesame oil, garnish with sesame seeds and serve.
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., has been following a healthy real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She has taken 
