Szechuan Pork with Green Beans is one of those dishes that’s healthy and quite satisfying. I grew up eating green beans that were cooked into submission. I must admit, I still like them that way in some dishes, but the beans in this dish are crisp-tender and slightly charred. The Szechuan peppercorns add an unforgettable zesty note. I buy the ground pork from a big supermarket chain (more on that later), however, I grow the green beans, the onions, and the garlic myself, which is satisfying in a different way. But the primary reason that I love Szechuan Pork with Green Beans is simple – it’s delicious!
Szechuan Pork with Green Beans
Ingredients
SAUCE
- 2 T tamari
- 2 T mirin
- 1 T chili garlic sauce
STIR-FRY
- 1 pound green beans
- 1/2 onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 knob fresh ginger
- 1 serrano pepper
- 1 pound ground pork
- 2 T grapeseed oil
- 1/4 t Szechuan peppercorns
Instructions
- Mix the Sauce – Whisk together the tamari, mirin, and chili garlic sauce. Set aside.
- Prep the veg – Wash, destem, and destring the beans, if necessary. Cut the beans into 2-inch pieces. Dice the onion. Slice the garlic and chop the ginger. Thinly slice the serrano pepper after removing the stem, then shake out the seeds, and set aside.
- Brown the Pork – Add the pork to a hot pan and stir-fry until it's browned and has some crispy edges. Remove from the pan and set aside. Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel.
- Char the beans – Add your beans to the hot skillet and do not touch them for two minutes. Toss them, and continue to char the beans for another two minutes.
- Sweat the aromatics – Add the grapeseed oil. Then add the onions, garlic, and ginger. Cook until they begin to soften.
- Finish – Add the pork back to the pan. Stir in the sauce and the peppercorns.
- Garnish and Serve – Once the sauce is heated through, you're finished. Remove from the heat, garnish with the serrano slices, and serve with rice.
(DO NOT READ THE REMAINDER OF THIS POST IF YOU’RE SQEAMISH...)
I love ground pork. But…
One time, years ago, we bought half of a pig from a local farmer. Ron was traveling on business when I got the call that the pork was ready for pick-up, and I didn’t want to drive in the snow, so the farmer offered to drop it off. I had filled out a cut sheet, so I thought I knew what I was getting, but when I answered the door, she handed me a bag of bloody pig parts. I had opted to wrap the cuts myself and I was ready with freezer paper and tape. It was pork, yes, but I couldn’t identify the cuts. I was up late into the night wrapping and taping the pieces, but I ended up stashing them in the freezer without labeling them because I couldn’t identify what was what. The next morning I had to wipe down the kitchen before work because there was blood splattered everywhere. And that smell. I’ll never forget that smell. Never again.
Another time I was at the grocery store, and although they had many pork cuts, there weren’t any packages of ground pork in the case. So I asked the butcher to grind a pork shoulder for me. He didn’t seem pleased (bad mood?), and I neglected to ask him to apportion it into one pound packages. He handed me one large package, and the pork was ground into mush. Once again, I found myself with a large quantity of stinky pork that I had to package myself before freezing. OMG.
Not long ago we visited another local farmer who sells pork by the cut. Her price sheet listed many different cuts, but no ground pork. When we asked her why she didn’t offer it, she explained that she can’t charge as much for ground pork – people expect it to be cheaper than her premium cuts. But if she opted to ask the butcher to grind those same premium cuts to make ground pork, so she would have to charge accordingly. She opted to just stick with selling pork parts. Yes, I know, I could grind it myself, but I’m not going there, OK?