Many of you have heard of the Taiwanese restaurant Din Tai Fung, know for its delicious xialongbao, shao mai, and noodle dishes. For those of you that haven’t discovered their incredible green beans, I’m telling you they are major crave-instigators.
If you haven’t tried Din Tai Fung’s green beans, I’m sure you’re thinking it’s an odd choice to order at a restaurant, and something that’s easily overlooked – because I definitely turned up my nose several times when this delicious dish was first recommended to me. But let me tell you, these are savory, crisp, light and so flavorful, you won’t be able to eat just one, and you certainly will order it again when you return to the restaurant. And if you’re like me, or if you don’t have a Din Tai Fung near you, you’ll crave them at home and very much appreciate my copycat recipe for them!
“A Din Tai Fung family favorite: freshly-cut string beans, coated with minced garlic and tossed over high heat for a savory, umami-packed bite.”
– Din Tai fung
Din Tai Fung-Style Garlic Green Beans
Ingredients
- 8 oz Chinese Green Beans (approx. 1/2 lb; regular green beans work just as well)
- 4 cloves Garlic (chopped)
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 1/2 tbsp Chicken Bouillon Powder or Mushroom Powder
- 1 tsp Chili Oil (optional)
Instructions
- Set a small pot of water to boil. While you are waiting for the water to boil, trim the ends of your green beans. Once the water is boiling, blanch the green beans for approximately one minute.
- While your green beans are in the pot, prepare a large bowl with ice and water to create an ice bath for the green beans. Then, drain the green beans from the hot water and place in the ice bath for about two to three minutes. Remove green beans from the ice bath and pat dry thoroughly.
- Melt butter and garlic together in a wok or sauté pan over medium heat. Add chicken bouillon powder or mushroom powder, and stir to combine. Simmer until fragrant, about two minutes.
- Increase heat to medium high and add green beans. Stir fry until lightly blistered, no more than three minutes, as you still want to maintain the crisp of the green beans.
- Remove from heat, pouring garlic butter over top of green beans before serving. Add chili oil if desired.
Watch my video on how to make this recipe by clicking here.
