Black Bean Chicken & Dry-Fried Green Beans

Once again some Fuchsia Dunlop recipes here: slightly adapted in both cases and from “Every Grain of Rice” rather than Sichuan Cookery.

The black bean chicken is of Hunanese origin and employs two of its most distinctive seasonings: fermented black beans and chillies. On the other hand the dryfried green beans are from the Sichuan province and one that I have cooked many times before although from the aforementioned Sichuan Cookery. This is the vegetarian version from Every Grain of Rice where ya cai or preserved vegetable are used in place of minced pork for a savoury kick.


Black Bean Chicken
serves 2 with one other dish & rice

2 boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-2cm cubes
1 small green pepper, cut into 1-2cm squares (to match the chicken)
2 tbsp groundnut oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled & sliced
20g ginger, peeled & sliced
2 tbsp fermented black beans, rinsed & drained
1 tsp ground chillies
salt
2 spring onions, green parts only, finely sliced
1 tsp sesame oil
For the marinade
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
¼ tsp salt
1½ tsp potato flour
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce

Put the chicken pieces in a bowl with the marinade ingredients, mix well and set aside.

Heat a wok over a high flame and add ½ tbsp oil. Add the peppers and stir-fry until slightly cooked but still crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Reheat the wok over a high flame and add the remaining groundnut oil. Swirl it around to coat the sides of the wok then add the marinated chicken and stir-fry until the pieces have separated.

Add the garlic and ginger and continue to stir-fry until they smell fragrant.

Add the black beans and stir around a few times.

Add the ground chillies and also return the peppers to the wok.

Continue to stir-fry until the chicken is just cooked through. Season to taste if necessary with a little salt then stir in the spring onion greens. Remove from the heat and stir in the sesame oil before serving.

Sichuanese Dry-Fried Green Beans
serves 2 with one other dish & rice

300g green beans, trimmed & halved
4 dried Facing Heaven (or other red chilli), snipped in half and seeds discarded
2 spring onions, white parts only, finely sliced
3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
20g ginger, peeled & finely sliced
2 tbsp Sichuan preserved vegetable, rinsed, drained & chopped (optional)
salt
1½ tbsp groundnut oil
½ tsp Sichuan pepper

1 tsp sesame oil

Blanch the beans until just tender in a pan of salted, boiling water. Drain thoroughly.

Heat a wok over a high flame and add the groundnut oil then the chillies and Sichuan pepper. Let them sizzle until the chillies have darkened (be very careful not to let them burn) and it all smells very fragrant.

Add the spring onion, garlic & ginger and stir-fry for a minute then add the preserved vegetable and stir a few times.

Add the blanched beans and stir-fry for a few minutes more over a fairly high heat until they are coated in the fragrant oil and puckered and browning in places.

Add salt to taste then stir in the sesame oil and serve.

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