Spicy Szechuan Green Beans

Spicy Szechuan Green Beans are the perfect quick side dish with a little kick!

You’ve gotta love a side dish that comes together in 15 minutes!

Green beans are a versatile vegetable that quickly takes on any flavor you choose. This recipe has a little kick, but you can absolutely tone it down to suit your taste.

This Szechuan Sauce can be used for nearly any green vegetable, so keep it in mind for broccoli, broccolini, bok choy, and asparagus. I like to double the sauce recipe and use it again later in the week.

We use this sauce on our Szechuan Airfryer Wings too!

We often use Chinese long beans for this recipe, but regular green beans work perfectly too! See below for more about Chinese long beans.

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Step by Step instructions

Make the Spicy Szechuan Sauce first

• This recipe comes together quickly so make the sauce first and set aside.

• This sauce is a classic Szechuan Sauce that you can double, and store the remainder in the refrigerator, for your next side dish. I always make a big batch and keep it on hand because it can transform a boring dinner into magic!

You will need a few basic Chinese cooking ingredients for this sauce:

• Hoison Sauce – this is a staple of Chinese cooking, but what exactly is Hoison sauce? Hoisin sauce is made from soybean paste, garlic, chilies, and various spices, and can contain sugar and vinegar. It is a wonderful brown sauce that is salty, spicy, and sweet. It’s very versatile!
• Oyster Sauce – this is another staple of Chinese cooking. Oyster sauce is a dark brown condiment made from oyster extracts, sugar, salt, and water and thickened with corn starch
• Sesame Oil – This is my favorite cooking oil (other than olive oil) because it lends a subtle nutty flavor to any dish or sauce. Sesame oil has a very high smoke point (410˚ F degrees), so it’s perfect for stir-frying. Because it is a nut oil it’s best to keep it stored in the refrigerator for longer shelf life.
• Soy Sauce – I like to use the low sodium version because you can control the salty flavor
• Szechuan Peppercorns – or red chile flakes which bring the heat to this sauce
• Sugar, Salt, and Pepper

Additional Ingredients Needed:

• Green Beans – regular or Chinese long beans
• Mushrooms – optional but recommended

How to make Stir Fry Szechuan Green Beans

• Prepare sauce and set aside
• Clean and cut (if needed) the green beans. Pat them dry.
• Like most stir fry recipes, you’ll cook with high heat. Preheat your wok and add the sesame oil. I use a stovetop wok but any large heavy non-stick pan is perfect. If you don’t have sesame oil, use canola or peanut oil
• Heat the oil until very hot. It should be shimmering, but not smoking
• Add the prepared green beans. Shake or stir the pan frequently to prevent burning and to adequately coat with the hot oil
• Cook the beans until lightly browned and charred on the outside – about 3 minutes
• Add the mushrooms, or any other vegetable (or any cooked meat), and stir fry for 1 more minute until they are beginning to caramelize slightly
• Add spicy Szechuan sauce and toss to coat the beans
• Cook for about 3 more minutes until sauce is lightly caramelized, and beginning to thicken
• Remove from the heat and spoon everything into a serving dish
• Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve

What are Chinese Long Beans?

• We LOVE Chinese Long Beans because they really hold their shape and it’s hard to overcook them. They are perfect for this spicy Szechuan green bean recipe. You can find them in any Asian specialty market but they are also often available at any well stocked market.
• Chinese Long Beans are sold in bundles, like the photo below. They are usually 12-18″ long. They grow up, not in the ground, just like all other green beans, so clean them by gently rubbing them under warm running water.
• You can cut them to any length you prefer. I normally cut them about 3-4″ long so they are easy to eat without a knife.

Adding extra vegetables or meat:

• You can add any extra quick-cooking vegetables to the stir fry. We like mushrooms, but onions or shallots are wonderful too.

• If you want to add longer cooking vegetables, such as carrots, you will need to steam them a bit ahead of time since the cooking time in the wok is only 5 minutes.

• For extra protein add any pieces of cooked meat, such as pork, steak, shrimp, or chicken, to make a complete dinner.

Other Asian-inspired dishes to try:

• Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad
• Asian Pork Tenderloin
• Asian Glazed Sheet Pan Salmon with Asparagus
• Korean Scallion Pancakes, Korean Cucumber Salad, Korean Beef Bulgogi
• Stir Fry Broccoli and Beef
• 30-minute Asian Garlic Noodles
• Asian Coleslaw with Peanut Dressing