Cherry & Dennis Recipes
Stir-fried Green Beans with Olive Vegetable and Minced Pork
欖菜肉碎四季豆
Recipe overview
Stir-fried Green Beans with Olive Vegetable and Minced Pork is a very rice-friendly Hong Kong home-style quick stir-fry. The green beans should stay crisp, the minced pork should be fragrant and loose, and the olive vegetable gives a salty savoury flavour. The key is to control saltiness and heat. This dish helps helpers practise blanching green beans until cooked but not soft, breaking up minced pork properly, and using olive vegetable in a moderate amount. The finished dish should be dry, aromatic, and not watery, with bright green beans.
01
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 350g green beans
- 180g minced pork
- 1.5 tablespoons olive vegetable
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 shallot
- A little diced red pepper
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce Minced pork marinade:
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar Minced pork marinade:
- a little white pepper Minced pork marinade:
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch Minced pork marinade:
- 1 teaspoon cooking oil Minced pork marinade:
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce Stir-fry seasoning:
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce Stir-fry seasoning:
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar Stir-fry seasoning:
- a little salt, omit if the olive vegetable is already salty Stir-fry seasoning:
- A little sesame oil
02
Tools
- Chopping board
- Knife
- Bowls
- Plate
- Measuring spoons
- Nonstick wok or home wok
- Wok spatula
- Slotted spoon
- Small pot
03
Steps
Step 1
Prepare the ingredients
Prepare the green beans, minced pork, olive vegetable, garlic, shallot, diced red pepper, and all seasonings. This dish cooks quickly, so everything should be ready before heating the wok.
Step 2
Trim and cut the green beans
Wash the green beans, remove the ends and tough strings, then cut into 3-4 cm pieces. Keep the pieces similar in length so they cook evenly.
Step 3
Marinate the minced pork
Mix the minced pork with light soy sauce, sugar, white pepper, and cornstarch, then add a little oil. Marinate for 8-10 minutes.
Step 4
Chop the aromatics
Finely chop the garlic and shallot, and dice the red pepper. Small even pieces make the flavour spread more evenly.
Step 5
Blanch the green beans
Bring water to a boil in a small pot. Add a little oil and salt, then blanch the green beans for 2-3 minutes until bright green.
Step 6
Drain the green beans
Lift out the green beans and drain well. Remove as much water as possible so the final stir-fry will not become wet.
Step 7
Stir-fry the minced pork
Add oil to the wok and stir-fry the minced pork over medium heat until it breaks apart and changes colour. Press gently with the spatula so it does not stay in large clumps.
Step 8
Fry garlic and shallot
Push the pork to one side, add the chopped garlic and shallot, and fry until fragrant. Keep the heat moderate so the garlic does not burn.
Step 9
Add olive vegetable
Add the olive vegetable and stir-fry it with the pork to release its savoury aroma. Do not add too much because it is salty.
Step 10
Add the green beans
Add the drained green beans and stir-fry over medium-high heat so the beans are coated with pork and olive vegetable flavour.
Step 11
Season and reduce
Add light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and a little water. Stir-fry quickly and taste before deciding whether to add salt.
Step 12
Add red pepper and serve
Add the diced red pepper and a little sesame oil. Stir-fry until the liquid is reduced, then serve. The dish should be dry and fragrant, with green beans still bright and minced pork clinging to them.
Common mistakes
- Skipping blanching leaves the green beans raw and hard.
- Blanching too long makes the beans yellow and soft.
- Not draining the beans well makes the dish watery.
- Adding too much olive vegetable makes the whole dish too salty.
- Not breaking up the minced pork leaves big meat clumps.
- Burning the garlic makes the dish bitter.
Tips
Olive vegetable is already salty, so keep the seasoning light first and taste at the end. The green beans must be cooked, but not cooked until soft. This dish is excellent with plain rice. If there are children at home, cut the beans a little shorter so they are easier to pick up.
