Thai-Style Green Beans

PaulaG's Note:

This recipe in from the Summer 2006 edition of Cooking for 2. I made a couple of adjustments to the recipe. We really enjoyed it served as a side with Lemon Chicken and Sesame Rice.

• Total Time: 25 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 2

• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
• 1/8-1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon shallot, minced
• 1 teaspoon gingerroot, grated
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1/2 lb green beans, trimmed
• cilantro, chopped
• dry roasted peanuts

Directions:

1. Combine the soy sauce, oyster sauce, peanut butter and crused red pepper in a small bowl; set aside.
2. Rinse the beans and place in a microwave safe dish, cover and cook until crisp tender; approximately 3 to 5 minutes depending on the wattage of your microwave.
3. Remove beans from microwave, rinse in cool water and allow to drain while preparing the sauce.
4. In a skillet or wok, heat the 1 teaspoon oil add the minced shallot and grated gingerroot.
5. Cook the shallot and ginger for 2 minutes and then add the soy sauce mixture; stirring until the peanut butter is melted and the sauce is smooth.
6. If using a natural peanut butter, it may be necessary to add a tablespoon or so of water to the pan to aid in making the sauce smooth and creamy.
7. Once the sauce is thoroughly combined, stir in beans and warm in sauce.
8. Prior to serving sprinkle with chopped cilantro and peanuts if desired.

Reviews

[notfes53]

Used this recipe as a side dish with Thai jasmine rice cooked with half water half coconut milk, and a whole brown trout baked in a Thai marinade and finished under the grill to crisp the skin. I was in a rush and didn't read the recipe properly, so simply added the minced shallot and grated ginger to the other ingredients - without cooking them! It didn't seem to affect anyone's enjoyment of the dish at all - thankfully! To top it, as suggested, I used some peanuts from a local Asian store - described as "Khao Shong Tom Yum coated peanuts". These were an excellent addition. I'll definitely use this recipe again. Oh, yes... nearly forgot: the only peanut butter we had in was Skippy smooth, and it was lovely.

[jerseygirl1952]

This was so easy and so tasty. I was making a Thai dinner with a chicken dish, a shrimp dish, and jasamin rice. Even though both main's had vegetables in them, I wanted to make a vegetable side dish. When I read this, I wasn't too sure I'd like it- the idea of peanut butter and green beans seemed wierd to me. I'm so glad I gave it a go. We all loved it and will be making this often. Thanks for a great recipe!

[Lusciouslisa119]

This was good. The only thing I might do differently is half the oyster sauce next time...personal preference.