Beef and flat bean stir fry is a dish I’m obsessed with recently, since our local Chinatown market started to carry flat beans. The beef is marinated in a simple sauce for a juicy texture. The flat beans are blanched until tender, then stir fried with the beef, along with some ginger and garlic. It’s finished with a delicious brown sauce that’s just enough to coat all the ingredients. It’s a dish that’s easy to put together and goes perfectly with steamed white rice for a quick meal.
What is flat beans
Flat beans, also called Romano beans, or Italian beans, are quite similar to green beans. They are quite big, about 9” to 10” (25 cm) long. They are wider and flatter than green beans. Once cooked, they will become delightfully crisp when al dente, or soft with a buttery tender texture when cooked through. When I can find them in the market, I prefer them to green (string) beans because of their nice texture. Flat beans can be used to replace the green beans in a stir fry dish, or vice versa. I want to introduce this dish to you, so you can enjoy these delicious flat beans when you find them in the market next time.
Ingredients
When you’re ready to cook, your table should have:
Marinated beef Mixed sauce Sliced flat beans Chopped ginger and garlic
What if I cannot find flat beans?
It’s totally OK to use regular green beans to cook this recipe! The cooking process is exactly the same. The only thing to be careful of is the blanching time. It takes 3 to 5 minutes to blanch the green beans depending on their size and the texture you’re looking for. You should taste the green beans while blanching them, to make sure they are cooked to your desired texture.
How to make beef and flat beans
To make beef and flat beans is very easy: Once cooked, the beef will be juicy and tender. The flat beans will have a nice meaty texture, and go well with the beef and the sauce.
What frying pan / wok to use?
I’ve written in detail about making Chinese stir fries in a wok vs. skillet and why I recommend using a skillet for making fries, for most home cooks based in the US. But often I get questions from readers on wok cooking, including on how to choose a wok and how to cook with it. So I want to take this chance to introduce my favorite wok from The Mala Market. I like to use this lightweight cast iron wok because it is easy to handle (I’m very short lol) and holds heat better than the common carbon steel wok. Currently I only have a 8000 BTU burner in my apartment’s kitchen, which is not quite powerful enough for wok cooking. But with this cast iron wok, I can cook proper stir fries that have a wonderful smoky flavor (wok hei). On the other hand, you can totally use a large flat skillet to make this dish. And the techniques are the same. I highly recommend the Debuyer 12.6” carbon steel skillet and OXO 12” nonstick pan.
Other delicious stir fry recipes
Yu Xiang Eggplant (鱼香茄子, Sichuan Eggplant Stir Fry) Cabbage Glass Noodles Stir Fry Mushroom Fried Rice (蘑菇炒饭) Sichuan Dry Fried Green Beans (干煸四季豆) Chinese Potato Stir Fry (炝炒土豆丝) 5-Ingredient Bitter Melon with Eggs
