Green beans shine brightly in Asian-influenced recipe

Asian-inspired, this dish is made with minimal amounts of oil and soy sauce. And that lets the green beans shine through.

Gingered Green Beans With Ground Pork

Kosher salt

1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil

2 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 (1-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger root, finely chopped

8 ounces lean ground pork

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, or more as needed

1 teaspoon light soy sauce, or more as needed

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Fill a mixing bowl with ice and water.

Add the green beans to the pot. Cook for 6 minutes or until the vegetables are tender; drain, then immediately transfer the beans to the ice-water bath to cool for 5 minutes. Drain the beans and spread them out on a clean dish towel to dry.

Meanwhile, heat the vegetable or peanut oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Once the oil shimmers, stir in the garlic and the ginger. Reduce the heat to medium-low; cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 or 7 minutes, adjusting the heat as needed to keep the garlic and ginger from browning.

Increase the heat to medium-high; stir in the ground pork to incorporate with the ginger and garlic, breaking up any clumps of meat. Lightly salt the mixture; cook, stirring every minute or so, for 6 to 8 minutes, until the meat is cooked through and lightly browned.

Add the cooked green beans, sesame oil and soy sauce, tossing to incorporate. Cook 3 or 4 minutes, so the green beans are heated through. Taste; add sesame oil and/or soy sauce as needed.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes about 6 servings.

Food, Pages 34 on 04/16/2014

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