Green Bean Garlic Sesame Salad (凉拌豆角 Liang Ban Dou Jiao)

Boil water in a medium or large sauce pan. The water will be used to blanch the beans. While waiting for water to boil, prepare all the other ingredients.

Wash the beans thoroughly. Trim the tough ends if using regular green beans. Cut the beans into 1-inch (2.5 cm) long pieces.

Mince the garlic. Use the back of a chef’s knife or a cleaver to first crush or smash the garlic to loosen the skin. After removing the skin, use two hands to gently rock the chef’s knife back and forth across the pile of garlic to mince it. Alternatively, you can use a garlic press to make garlic mince.

Make the sesame dressing. In a small bowl, add the 1 tablespoon of Chinese sesame paste (or Tahini) and the 1 teaspoon of table salt. Add approximately 1 tablespoon of room temperature water at a time, immediately mixing the paste and the water until the paste fully absorbs the water. Add another 1 tablespoon of water and mix it again. Repeat the same process a few more times until the paste becomes much thinner and more liquidly. Set aside.

Once the water from step 1 starts boiling, add the beans, a few drops of vegetable oil, and a pinch of kosher salt. Mix gently. Maintain a medium-high heat and let the beans blanch for 4-5 minutes. After 4-5 minutes, the beans should be tender and crisp. If the bean feels hard and bitter to bite, keep blanching 1 to 2 minutes longer.

Use a strainer or skimmer to transfer all the beans out to a deep bowl. Add the garlic mince immediately while the beans are still hot, gently combining the beans and garlic until well mixed.

If consuming right away, add the sesame dressing and mix well with the beans and garlic mince. The dish will be semi-warm. Otherwise, wait to add the sesame dressing until beans are cooled or right before eating. Add more salt to taste.