Szechuan Green Beans and Shiitake Mushrooms
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Tender green beans, earthy shiitake mushrooms, and a savory soy-ginger sauce come together in this quick and flavorful stir-fry.
In the midst of weeknight dinner chaos, vegetables often play second fiddle to meaty mains—at least at my house. But every once in a while, it’s nice to let them take center stage. These Szechuan-style green beans with shiitake mushrooms are so flavorful, they may just steal the spotlight from everything else on the plate.
Like most stir-fries, the recipe comes together quickly once you start cooking, so it’s important to have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go beforehand. You don’t want to be mincing garlic while the ginger burns in the pan. Though the recipe technically serves four, my husband and I have been known to make a meal of it. Serve the green beans alongside simply cooked fish or meat, or pair them with jasmine rice for a satisfying vegetarian dinner.
“The taste of these beans was sublime, truly full of umami, crunch, and satisfying goodness.”
What You’ll Need To Make Szechuan Green Beans
You’ll need soy sauce, dry sherry, sesame oil, sugar, cornstarch, red pepper flakes, dry mustard, vegetable oil, green beans, shiitake mushrooms, garlic, and ginger.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, water, dry sherry, sesame oil, sugar, cornstarch, red pepper flakes, and mustard. Set aside.
Step 2: Stir-fry the green beans. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until hot and shimmering. Add the green beans and cook, stirring frequently, until they’re tender and browned in spots, with puckered skins, 7 to 10 minutes (the exact cooking time will depend on the size of the beans). Transfer the beans to a large plate.
Step 3: Stir-fry the mushrooms. Add the remaining teaspoon of oil to the pan, then add the shiitake mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes.
Step 3: Cook the aromatics and finish. Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Return the green beans to the pan and add the sauce. Toss to coat and cook until the sauce lightly thickens and clings to the vegetables, about 10 seconds.
Step 4: Serve. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed. Then serve and enjoy!
More Asian Sides You’ll Love
Szechuan Green Beans & Shiitake Mushrooms
A quick stir-fry of Szechuan green beans and shiitake mushrooms in a bold soy-ginger sauce.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1½ tablespoons dry sherry
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 1¼ teaspoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon dry mustard
- Vegetable oil
- 1 pound green beans, ends trimmed
- 7 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk the soy sauce, water, dry sherry, sesame oil, sugar, cornstarch, red pepper flakes and mustard together. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-in nonstick skillet over high heat until very hot and shimmering. Add the beans and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, puckered and browned, 7 to 10 minutes (cooking time will depend on the size of the beans). Transfer beans to large plate.
- Add 1 teaspoon oil to pan. Add shiitake mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 minutes until slightly browned. Reduce heat to medium, then add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Return the beans to the pan and add the sauce. Toss and cook until the sauce is slightly thickened and the vegetables are evenly coated, about 10 seconds. Transfer to serving dish and serve immediately.
- Note: This recipe works best with thinner green beans (but not the super thin French haricots verts). If your beans seem really long, thick or a bit tough, cut them in half so they cook evenly (there may be just a few in the bunch that you need to cut). Also, be sure beans are dry, otherwise oil will splatter.
- Note: Check out easy guidance on how to peel, grate, and chop fresh ginger here.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 156
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Sugar: 6 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Sodium: 672 mg
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Excellent. I didn’t have any mushrooms but made it plain, still delicious.
Hi can I substitute with dry shiitake mushrooms? If so, what quantity should i use as they expand when soaked?
Thank you so much
Regards
Vanita
Hi Vanita, I just looked it up and it sounds like you’ll need 1.5 ounces. Hope you enjoy!
Made this last night, such a hit!! My husband loved it!
This is a very good recipe. Turned out perfectly. Sauce is yummy.
This is one of the first recipes I tried from Once Upon a Chef and it is one I go back to time and time again. Whenever I see fresh green beans on sale I pick some up and also some shiitake mushrooms—everything else need for the recipe is already in my pantry 😊
Hi can I substitute with dry shiitake mushrooms? If so, what quantity should i use as they expand when soaked?
Thank you so much
Regards
Vanita
Hi Vanita, I just looked it up and it sounds like you’ll need 1.5 ounces. Hope you enjoy!
I think my son would love this. I only have frozen green beans on hand. Would that work? Thaw first? Thanks!
Hi Leslie, I think you’d get the best results with fresh green beans but, frozen ones can be used. You can cook them straight from the freezer. Hope you son enjoys!
Thank you!
These green beans were delicious! I never would have thought to prepare green beans this way! Thank you again for the quality and breadth of your recipes. As a busy mom with two kids under two, we are in a stage of life where it is really hard to go out to eat. Now that I have found your blog, your recipes make it exciting to eat at home. I actually prefer eating at home now to eating out!
😊
This looks delicious. Do dry Shiitake mushrooms have more flavor? Would this sauce taste good over green beans that have been blanched the night before & refrigerated. Will cook the mushrooms
garlic & ginger & return the warmed beans to the pan & add the sauce.
Diane, dried mushrooms do have a lot of flavor, if you’d prefer to use them. (You would need to soak them in water to reconstitute them.) And yes, I think you could cook the beans in advance and then reheat in the pan with the sauce. Enjoy!
This is an excellent recipe! My husband made it tonight as written and said it was the best vegetable dish he’s ever made. Thank you!
I’m prepping these right now and will cook them when my husband gets home. There’s no mention of what to do with garlic. Slice, mince, dice, chop, smash, leave whole? I can’t wait to try them!
Renee, sorry it’s not more clear! The garlic should be minced. Hope you enjoy!
Thanks, we MORE than enjoyed them! I minced after looking at the first photo. Another of your fantastic recipes that will be in our regular rotation. Tonight we’re having your Pasta e Fagioli. It’s delicious and a perfect cold weather comfort food. I started prepping it this morning. Honestly, half of our meals have one or more recipes from you. Thanks!
Can this be made with frozen green beans?
Polly, while I think you’d get the best results with fresh green beans, frozen ones can be used in a pinch!