Blistered Green Beans with Garlicky Sesame Dressing

I’m a huge fan of green bean casseroles on Thanksgiving table, so obviously I had to bring in my umami game for my dream holiday spread! Loosely based on the classic Sichuan cooking style for Green Beans here I have blistered beans with fried garlic and chile infused soy-sesame oil dressing. A very few humble ingredients come together to make this ridiculously addictive side that I guarantee you won’t make just once!

Ingredients (serves 4-5 as a side)
1 lb Green Beans, de-stringed & whole
2 tbsp Sunflower Oil (sub any neutral oil)
Pinch of salt

Dressing
1.5 tbsp toasted sesame oil
12 Fat Garlic Cloves, whole & lightly crushed by blunt edge of knife
1 small Jalapeño (or Fresno), thinly sliced into discs
1.5 tbsp Soy Sauce (use Tamari to keep it GF & Coco Aminos to keep it Soy-free)
1 tsp Black Vinegar (even though it won’t be the same substitute 1/2 tsp Rice Vinegar + 1/2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar)
3 tbsp finely chopped Chinese Chives (substitute with 2 scallions)

1/2 tbsp Toasted Sesame seeds for garnish

Directions

💥Combine first 3 Dressing ingredients in a small pan. On medium flame, fry for 4 mins or until light golden. Turn-off heat, add soy sauce, chives & vinegar to the pan. Give everything a good mix & let it sit for 15-20 mins

💥Heat up sunflower oil in a large skillet, arrange all beans in a single layer (do it in batches if using small pan to avoid overcrowding). Let it cook on high heat for 3 mins UNDISTURBED. Now flip the beans, add salt & fry on medium-high flame for 4-5 mins. All should look blistered with brown spots & the texture will be slightly soft with a bite

💥Transfer beans into a large serving platter. Pour the dressing & toss until beans are well coated. Let the flavors meld for at least 10 mins

💥Scatter toasted sesame seeds on top & serve right away. I typically serve it with some steamed Jasmine Rice & Mapo Tofu!