For the past few months I was a bit overwhelmed with what's going on at work and everything else outside of work. But fortunately (or is it unfortunately? boy didn't I wish I have a fulltime maid who cooks and cleans, better yet works and brings money home for me) that doesn't mean I didn't cook, I was just behind in blogging.
Here's a simple recipe of green bean stirfried, another comfort food I cook pretty often. It's also easy to pack with rice for lunch the next day.
Ingredients:
+ 1 lb of green beans
+ As much dried shrimps as you like, I used about 1/2 tbsp (subtract dried shrimps if you want the vegan version)
+ 1 to 2 stalks of green onions
+ Dab of salt (about 1/2 to 1 tsp)
+ Dab of sugar (just a sprinkle should be enough)
+ 1tbsp oil
+ Optional: 1 tsp soy sauce. Note that soy sauce can add, hence alter, favor to your stirfries depends on what type of soy sauce you use. I only used salt, didn't use soysauce b/c I didn't want the dark soy sauce to over powering the fresh bean's flavor.
Instructions:
+ Wash green onions, coursely chop into chunks about 1/4 inch long.
+ Wash green beans, remove the veins on the 2 sides (as much as possible, if not don't worry)
+ Cut greenbeans into wedges (see picture).
+ In a wok or pot, heat up oil.
+ Add the dried shrimps and stir for about 30 seconds. Then add chopped green onions, and stir for another 30 seconds.
+ Then add green beans and cook for 10-15 minutes. Stir occasionally for even cooking of the bean.
+ You may want to add 1 tbsp water while the green bean is cooked so that it doesn't burn. Add more water if needed (only a little bit, like 1 tbsp, each time).
+ About 10 minutes in, you can sprinkle the salt and sugar over the bean, and mix it well.
+ Turn off the heat once the green beans are as cooked as desired.
I usually turn off the heat a couple minutes early, stir once more, and then let it sit in the heated pot for another few minutes. I like the bean's texture to be still a tiny bit firm, not too well cooked.
The day is already short enough that after a full-day at work I just don't really have time (or want to spend time) for a lengthy cooking episode in the kitchen; I think alot of you can relate. I hope this recipe is simple enough for you working wives/girlfriends/moms out there. And the nice thing that I like about this kind of simple home cooking dishes I make is that it doesn't trade convenience for healthy nutrition and quality.
Enjoy. And don't forget to pack the left over with rice for lunch the next day.
