Stir-fry Winged Beans

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This stir-fry winged beans (清炒四角豆) was cooked with organic winged beans grown by my aunt. The winged beans were as organic as they can be, grown entirely with organic compost in my aunt’s garden. I stir fried this dish in the simplest way to enjoy the natural good taste of the freshly harvested winged beans. Even though it was my first time cooking winged beans, I followed the instructions of my aunt & mum, so the dish turned out delicious! The cooked winged beans were crunchy and fresh tasting. I also made a winged beans fried rice to go with it, as my aunt told me that winged beans are especially tasty in fried rice (she’s right!)

Related Recipe:

• XO Sauce Winged Bean Fried Rice

See Also:

• Stir-fry Kailan & Crispy Roast Pork
• Spinach Fish Ball Soup
• Rice Cooker Braised Pumpkin
• Easy Chinese Cooking

INGREDIENTS & PREPARATION

• Prepare the wing beans. Snip off the ends of each winged bean. For this recipe, I cut each winged bean diagonally to 5-7 sections, depending on the length of each bean.
• Salt & pepper. I used a salt & pepper blend which I bought from Daiso – this bottle has become my trusty kitchen helper. If you have the exact bottle of S&P as mine, do use it sparingly. You only need a light sprinkle. If you are not using a salt & pepper blend, just add a small pinch of salt and 2-3 dashes white pepper.
• Other Ingredients. Chopped garlic & ginger, oyster sauce, Chinese wine (Shaoxing/Hua Tiao) & sesame oil (optional).

MAKE THE DISH

• Stir fry winged beans with garlic and ginger.
• Add oyster sauce and a light sprinkle of salt & pepper blend. Stir fry briefly until the winged beans start to soften a little.
• Add a small splash of water, cover with lid and steam for a minute until the winged beans are soft to your liking. It’s done!
• As optional finishing touches, you can add a splash of Chinese wine. Drizzle a bit of sesame oil for added aroma.

FLEXIBILIY

You can make variations to this recipe in various ways. 

• Crunchy or soft? In this recipe, the cooked winged beans were still crunchy. I enjoyed the tender crunchy texture greatly. My aunt said that winged beans can be eaten raw or lightly blanched, so you do not need to worry about undercooking. If you prefer to eat softer winged beans though, increase the steaming time accordingly.
• Cutting – Big or small sections? I followed my aunt’s method of cutting each winged bean diagonally to 5-7 sections. My mum cut hers to 2-3 large sections. It’s up to your preference how big or small you like to cut the beans.
• Spicy version. You can add a small dollop of sambal belachan, and a cut red chilli for some heat.