Chinese long beans (豇豆) is a very popular and common summer vegetable in China. This is a super easy and healthy side dish for hot summer.
Compared with green beans, Chinese long beans (yard-long) are much longer, usually around 40-50ml long. And it is much thiner with smaller beans. We love it very much especially in summer days and it is indispensable to a classic Szechuan pickle jars.
To prepare the long beans, cut the two ends off and then into similar long sections.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add around 1/4 teaspoon salt and then cook the long beans for 3 minutes (make sure the beans are well-cooked but still green). Transfer out immediately and soak in iced water. Drain completely after cool down.
Add all of the following ingredients to long beans. Toast to make sure every section is well coated.
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 tablespoon vinegar
- 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
Add 1 tablespoons of sesame paste and 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds in a bowl. Mix with 1 to 2 tablespoon of water for a flowing texture.
Drizzle sesame mixture on top before serving.
- 250 g Chinese long beans (豇豆) , around 8 oz
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 tbsp. vinegar
- 1/2 tbsp. sesame oil
- 1/4 tsp. sugar
- 1 tbsp. sesame paste
- 1/2 tsp. sesame seeds
- water as needed
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To prepare the long beans, cut the two ends off and then into 6-8cm pieces.
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Add 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds with 1 tablespoon of sesame paste in a small bowl. And then add around 1 or 2 tablespoons of water, stir in one direction for minutes until all the ingredients combined well.
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Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add around 1/4 teaspoon salt and then cook the long beans for 3 minutes (make sure the beans are well-cooked but still green). Transfer out immediately and soak in iced water. Drain completely after cool down.
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Mix all the seasoning expect the sesame paste with the long beans. Give a big stir to make sure all the beans are well coated and the sauce is well absorbed.
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Drizzle sesame paste before serving.
Hi! What kind of vinegar are you using here?
I use Chinese black vinegar.
The recipe says “250g (around 8 oz)” but does not mention an actual ingredient. I assume you mean long beans.
Nice catch. Already updated.
What kind of sesame paste? Is there a certain brand? Can you post a picture? Thanks!
I use a local Chinese brand. My favorite type is this one.
I had a fave Chinese Buffet that served what they called “steamed green bean”
I loved them and can not figure out how they had a smokey flavor..
They seemed to have small bits of onion and a small amount of liquid..
There was no meat yet they tasted of a hint of bacon..
The restaurant closed and I may never find them again 🙁
Please advise if you are familiar with what this recipe could be..
Mary,
Those steamed green beans are steamed with ground rice. It is a very popular and common Chinese dish. The bacon like flavor comes from the spices and fried grains. I will try to recovery that one for you soon.
Thank you Elaine,
I appreciate you trying to locate the recipe.
Sure, Mary. It is very common. I will post it next week.
Excellent **easy** recipe! Chinese long beans are out of season so we subbed for fresh green beans. It would be worth noting that there is a big difference between Tahini (sesame paste) and Chinese Sesame Paste; the latter being more toasted and deeper flavored.
Thanks for the great recipe, Elaine!
Thanks.
Most of the sesame paste in China use toasted sesame seeds which gets a stronger flavor, can influence the fresh ingredients more profoundly.