Dry Fried Green Beans with Pork

• 2 large dried red chillies
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 50g (1¾oz) sui mi ya cai (sichuanese pickled vegetables) (swapsies: tianjin preserved vegetable)
• 200g (7oz) green beans
• 100g (3½oz) minced pork
• Vegetable oil for frying 

Pork marinade:

• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon pure sesame oil
• ½ teaspoon sugar

The sauce:

• 1 teaspoon chilli bean sauce
• ½ teaspoon dark soy sauce
• Pinch of sugar 
• 1tbsp chilli water 

PREPARATION

1. Soak the dried red chillies in hot water for 15 minutes, then roughly chop them.
2. Prepare the other ingredients: Finely slice the garlic, finely chop the pickled vegetables, and trim the green beans by cutting off both ends (top and tail).
3. Marinate the pork: In a bowl, mix the pork marinade ingredients, then add the minced pork and massage it into the marinade.
4. Prepare the sauce: In a separate small bowl or ramekin, mix the sauce ingredients together.

Now, set up your wok clock:
5. Arrange your ingredients in a clockwise pattern around your plate, starting from 12 o’clock:

• Place the garlic, dried chillies and pickled veg at 12 o’clock,
• Followed by the marinated minced pork then blanched green beans  
• Finally, the sauce.

COOKING

• Blanch the green beans: Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the trimmed green beans and blanch them for about 2-3 minutes, or until they’re tender-crisp. Drain the beans and set them aside.

• Stir-fry the ingredients: Return the wok to high heat. Once the wok is hot, add a little oil and add the marinated minced pork, breaking it up with your spatula or ladle. Stir-fry until the pork starts to brown and crisp at the edges. Place the cooked cook in to a bowl.

• Add more oil into the wok and sauté the garlic, dried red chillies and pickled vegetables. After a minute, add the cooked pork and the blanched green beans to the wok and toss them until the green beens start to blister. Stir everything together until well mixed and heated through.

• Add the sauce: Finally, pour in the sauce and stir-fry everything for another minute, ensuring that the sauce coats the pork, vegetables, and beans evenly.