Green Beans with Peanuts and Chile de Arbol
The topic of Asian influence in Mexican cooking turned out to be so fascinating to research, in and out of my kitchen, that I devoted an entire episode of my upcoming Third Season of Pati’s Mexican Table, on Public TV, to this menu. (Yey! It’s in production now. I will be able to share the sizzle reel soon, and it will air in January!) This recipe for Green Beans with Cacahautes and Chile de Arbol is one of its highlights. Thanks to Miller’s basics, I could brush up on my stir-frying technique, so the dish turns out just like my grandmother liked her stir fries: tender, crunchy, fresh and full of flavor.
- Prep time
- 5 min
- Cook time
- 6 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
- 1 lb green beans (ends cut and diagonally sliced in about 2” pieces, or Chinese long beans)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt
- 2 tbsp peanut oil
- 1/2 cup roasted peanuts
- 4 garlic cloves (minced or pressed)
- 3 to 4 chiles de arbol (stemmed and thinly sliced)
- 4 to 6 scallions (thinly sliced, light green and white parts only)
Instructions
- 1
Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot, add the sliced green beans and cook, uncovered for 2 to 3 minutes until al dente, drain and set aside.
- 2
Combine the soy sauce, chicken broth, sugar and salt in a small bowl and mix well.
- 3
Heat the peanut oil over high heat in a large heavy skillet until hot but not smoking. Add the peanuts, stirring constantly, as they begin to fry for about 20 seconds. Beware, peanuts burn faster than you would think... so don't wait until they look browned. Add the garlic and the chiles de arbol, stir for about 10 seconds, and add the scallions and stir for another 10 to 15 seconds. Add the green beans, stir to combine all the ingredients and finally pour soy sauce mixture, let it all cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Serve immediately.