Green Beans Stir-fry with Shallots and Pork Recipe

I hope that you are all having a good week!  A good and easy stir-fry is always welcome in my books - it allows one to combine usually some vegetables with a protein of your choice and today's feature is as simple as it gets.  Green beans are stir-fried with some shallots for a natural sweetness and some thin slices of pork, very much a 'rice-puller' if there is such a term.  This is a great recipe to tuck away for those tired weeknights and you can substitute the pork with shrimp or just keep it vegetarian by eschewing the protein.  This is altogether a very nutritious and simple dish, you may not find this humble dish on the regular menus of most Chinese restaurants but this is a much-loved dish in a lot of Chinese households.  

Serves 3-4

Serving suggestion: with steamed rice

Ingredients:

1 packet of green beans, stringed and sliced at an angle (comes up to about 1 cup worth or a little more)

2 shallots, sliced

3 cloves garlic, roughly minced

150g pork, sliced (use more if you like, the ratio of beans to pork is up to you)

1-2 teaspoons light soy sauce or to taste

Method:

Firstly, prepare a pot of boiling water. Add about 1 teaspoon of salt.  Blanch the green beans in the water for about 2 minutes.  Remove and drain.  I do this as I don't like green beans that taste too 'raw' and I prefer this additional step as I don't want to stir-fry the beans for too long as they may turn yellowish (same applies to most green vegetables).

Next, heat up your wok until almost smoking.  Add 2 tablespoons of oil and swirl to coat.  Turn heat to low, add garlic and shallots.  Stir fry until aromatic.  Add pork slices.  Turn heat to medium high.  Add soy sauce.  Stir fry until lightly browned.  Add about 2 tablespoons of water.  

When the pork slices are almost cooked (thin slices will ensure a quicker cooking time), add green beans from earlier.  Stir-fry until well-mixed.  Add another 2 tablespoons of water and turn heat to high.  Stir-fry briskly for about 1 minute.  Add more soy sauce if needed.  Dish out and serve.

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