Nana's Famous Green Bean Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the Chinese dish green beans called? ›

Gan bian si ji dou—Sichuan-style dry-fried green beans with chiles and pickles—are one of the best and most mistranslated vegetable dishes in the world.

The vegetable helps fight inflammation and is a good source of folate and potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure. Green beans also are a good source of protein and fiber, which helps lower cholesterol, Vadiveloo said. "Fiber is underconsumed by U.S. adults and children, and it's good for gut health," she said.

Soy sauce is one of the easiest answers to how to flavor green beans. You can throw in some of this soy sauce, sesame oil, olive oil, ginger, and garlic and pan fry until glassy and green and you may never want to eat green beans any other way again.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add garlic and cook until softened and just beginning to color, 1 to 2 minutes. Add green beans and season generously with salt and pepper. When green beans are hot, toss in lemon slices and cook 1 minute over high.

Your Beans Will Cook Faster

Well, creating an alkaline (or basic) environment by adding a small amount (about 1 teaspoon per cup of dry beans) of baking soda to your soaking/cooking water can actually help your beans cook faster.

The Purgatory bean is small, white and round, similar to a Cannellini bean, but with a more delicate taste and a thin skin, historically cultivated in the towns of Gradoli, Acquapendente and Onano.

How It Became a Holiday Staple. Green bean casserole was considered a perfect dish for holiday entertaining because it was simple, inexpensive, and could easily be made ahead of time. It became known as a "jiffy casserole" because it went from one bowl to one pan.

It is said that the Japanese name for green beans, "ingen," comes from a Zen Buddhist monk named Ingen from China who came to Japan in 1654 and taught for a year at Kof*ckuji Temple in Nagasaki.

Might Reduce Your Risk of Cancer

Research suggests that regularly incorporating green beans into your meals may reduce the risk of breast, colon and prostate cancer. Their anti-cancer effects may be due, in part, to the presence of chlorophyll, carotenoids, phenolic acids, fiber, phytic acid and saponins.

Yet, if you eat them, lectins are resistant to digestive enzymes. Thus, they bind to the surface of cells in your digestive system, causing symptoms like nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and bloating if consumed in high amounts ( 2 ). They may also damage your gut cells and affect your gut's friendly bacteria.

Can too many green beans be bad for you? ›

Lectins are proteins present in green beans that help bind carbohydrates. Lectins cause digestive problems such as nausea, vomiting, bloating, and diarrhea.

Then, I toss the blanched beans with olive oil, lemon juice and zest, garlic, and salt to pep up their flavor. Serve them just like that, or dress them up more with toasted almonds or pine nuts, grated Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, or fresh herbs like basil, parsley, or thyme.

Tahini + Toasted Sesame Seeds

This is the duo that gives green beans a creamy, crunchy twist with a big nutty flavor. Blanch green beans, then drizzle with tahini, and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

To make the salad, blanch the beans by plunging them in boiling salted water for 1½ minutes until their rawness has been removed but they are still crunchy. Refresh immediately in cold water, then remove and put onto kitchen paper to absorb the moisture.

Steaming green beans gives them the same crisp-tender texture as blanching or boiling. Yet I think it preserves their lovely green color and allows the home cook more control over their texture than with those other two methods. Steaming is easy, too—and ease is what this recipe is all about.

Put a pan of salted water on to boil. Meanwhile, trim the the beans. Once the water is boiling, steam or boil the beans until tender. Drain well, then tip the cooked beans into the bowl with your dressing and toss everything together, making sure all the beans get coated.

Fresh green beans do not need to be soaked. To help tenderize the beans, blanch them in a large pot of salted water.