Chris Ying's "Pickled" Green Beans with Pork

Ingredients

½ Ib ground pork.

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cornstarch *

4 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp sugar - optionad

1¾ C (½2 Ib) green beans, diced into ¼-inch pieces

1/4 C rice wine vinegar

1 tsp sugar

1 Tbsp neutral oil+

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp minced ginger

7-8 slices pickled jalapeños, minced

Directions

Add the ground pork, ½ tsp salt, cornstarch, 2 tsp soy sauce, and 1 tsp sugar to a bowl. Use clean hands (or better yet, hands wearing food-safe gloves) to mix everything thoroughly. Cover and leave in the fridge to marinate for at least 20 minutes, and up to a couple hours.††

Place the green beans in a microwave-safe bowl, along with 2 tsp soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ½ tsp salt, and 1 tsp sugar.‡ Give everything a quick toss, then cover with a vented, microwave-safe lid or plastic wrap. If using plastic wrap, poke a few holes to let steam out. Microwave on high power for 1½ minutes, then carefully remove and stir. Cover again and continue microwaving for another 1½ minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick pan or wok over medium-high heat, then coat with oil. Add the pork, using a wooden spoon to break it up as best you can. Stir-fry until the pork begins to brown, then add the garlic and ginger. Continue to cook for another minute or two.

Once you can smell the ginger and garlic, add the microwaved green beans and their juices. Season with the remaining 2 tsp soy sauce, and cook until the beans are softened but not mushy. Scoop some out for the kids. Now, add the minced pickled jalapeños, toss, and serve to adults. With rice.

Notes

This recipe is even better made with long beans, which stand up nicely to microwaving with rice vinegar.

† Dave advises that an extra tablespoon of oil will allow you to bloom the garlic and ginger fully before stir-frying.

†† Alternately, you can probably skip the marination period and just add the pork to the pan.

‡ If you’re using green beans instead of long beans, you might consider skipping the microwave step and just adding the rice vinegar directly to the stir-fry.