The Best Way To Cook: Yard Long Beans

[Chris Amirault]

What's the best way to cook yard long beans?

They seem to be in season now at our local Asian markets: dark green, pretty thin, not shriveling at the ends. My favorite way to cook them used to be a bean and sausage affair with confused Asian lineage but solid flavor. However, what with James Oseland's great Cradle of Flavor to help me along, I've become addicted to "Ching Lee's Braised Lemongrass Long Beans," another mashup (Malaysian and Chinese, this time) that combines lemongrass, ginger, candlenuts, soy, shrimp paste, and a few other things to make a remarkably hearty dish. It's become a staple in our house.

How do you cook your yard long beans? What are your favorite ways to use them?

[s0rce]

no photo sorry, it was a while ago, but there is a decent sweet/spicy thai roasted chili paste in a small jar. Made by thai kitchen. I've stir fried the beans up with some of that and it was really good. Also quick and easy to make.

-Lyle

[annachan]

I use it in stir-fry like green beans. Start with a little garlic, add beans (cut into about 2 inches long), seasoned with soy sauce and a little sugar. Add some water or broth and cover the lid to let it steam a little to make it tender.

It would make a great stir-fry with beef, pork or chicken. It would also be good with some dried shrimp.

[pat_00]

Try the sichuan recipe, 'dry fried green beans' the fuschia dunlop recipe is pretty close to what i've had over there

[helenjp]

I grow these because they stand up to "cooking ahead" better than regular green beans (=great for lunchboxes), and they stand up to aggressive seasoning too.

They seem to work best when stirfried and then simmered, rather than straight boiling.

Because they stand up to longer cooking than green beans, they go well with eggplant in a vegetable-rich variation of Chinese ma-po tofu (just sub the eggplant for the beancurd).

I like them in a "thoren" (dryish south Indian curry with coconut), because the slight sweetness seems to go well with the beans, and the dry texture is great for lunchbox food.

Yard-long beans, snake beans are not just a variant cultivar of green beans, they are a different variety, related to other Vigna species such as mung beans, azuki beans, black-eyed peas etc.

The pods therefore have a slightly different texture and taste from regular green beans, and they need to be eaten younger - before you can see any hint of swelling from the ripening beans inside the pod. I'm not familiar with the paler green Indian types, but generally with the Chinese and Japanese types, the slightly shorter cultivar s are better eating than the very, very long ones.

They won't germinate reliably until temperatures are over 30 C (in the 90s F), and the closer the temperatures are to the mid-30s C (100-plus F), the better they like it. However, pests rarely trouble them and they are easy to grow, even in containers.

[Domestic Goddess]

In the Philippines, we would cook yardlong beans or "sitaw" as we call it in coconut milk, chunks of squash, with pieces of crunchy pork cracklings.

[OnigiriFB]

Stir fried with Thai red curry and minced pork. Yummy!

[Dejah]

Stir-fried then simmered until tender with onions and fu yu - great on a bowl of freshly cooked rice.

I usually end up eating the cold leftovers before the end of the night.

[prasantrin]

Stir fried with Thai red curry and minced pork.  Yummy!

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Is that pad phet? I love long beans and minced pork pad phet. It's one of my favourites, though my dad used to make it much too spicy for me!

[snowangel]

Stir fried with Thai red curry and minced pork.  Yummy!

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Is that pad phet? I love long beans and minced pork pad phet. It's one of my favourites, though my dad used to make it much too spicy for me!

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I've always known it as prik king, and it is one of my very favorite dishes! IMHO, regular green beans are not an acceptable substitute as they are just too sweet and mush quickly.

Snake/yard long beans are also wonderful in a coconut-milk based curry -- it seems that no matter how long you cook them, they still retain some crunch.

In another vein, my mom stopped one day last winter, and as she left, she mentioned stopping at the grocery for green beans for minestrone, so I gave her some long beans, and they were a wonderful addition to the soup -- retaining crunch and body upon reheating!

[Chris Amirault]

In another vein, my mom stopped one day last winter, and as she left, she mentioned stopping at the grocery for green beans for minestrone, so I gave her some long beans, and they were a wonderful addition to the soup -- retaining crunch and body upon reheating!

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I agree about the beans being excellent as side players instead of on center stage. Ever since Russell mentioned using long beans in naw mai fon, they're a staple ingredient in that remarkable rice dish (along, of course, with lop yuk).

[TongoRad]

I usually do them in the manner of my fave South Indian joint- really simple yet really delicious . I cut them into small pieces, like 1/4" or so, and blanch them. On another burner I heat some oil, add mustard seeds, curry leaves and dried red chiles (the trick is to have the heat hot enough to make the spices pop and bloom, but not burn. If it is too low they just sizzle meekly and never really hit that pungent stage.), then some minced shallots, and finally the blanched beans. Toss for a bit, add salt and you're done. Great side dish.

Along the lines of the minestrone, they are also a nice addition to sambar, cut into 1" pieces.

[Hest88]

My favorite is simply stir-fying them in black bean sauce.

[snowangel]

Not having to do with cooking yard long beans, but storing them. I bought a big beautiful bunch today, and when I arrived home, message on the phone that plans have changed for tonight and tomorrow night, and I may not get to them until Sunday. I know from experience that yard long beans do not have a long shelf life. Blanch and fridge? What do other folks do?

[Chris Amirault]

What're you going to do with them on Sunday? If you'll be blanching them before doing whatever else, then, yeah, blanch 'em. If not, then I'd wash them, wrap them still wet in a paper towel, and stick 'em in a plastic bag. Should be ok until Sunday.

[snowangel]

Chris, I'm thinking prik king (stir fry) on Sunday night. I think you're right about the paper towel, in a duh moment!