Two more months till Ed and I get married! June 14th marks our big day -- yay! For the next two months, we both really need to watch what we eat and exercise more. I wish I were one of those gym loving people exercise but the truth is... I'm a total couch potato. The next two months are going to be rough. But on a good note, I will be dedicating the next two months to finding and creating delicious and healthy recipes -- so stay tuned :) For this recipe, I've also included the nutrition facts, using Self Nutrition Data, so we can easily keep track of the calorie count and nutritional value.
As a child, I loathed most vegetables. I would pretend that I was sick or make fake gagging sounds to get out of finishing my veggies. The only exceptions were whole, thin, sweet carrots -- because I could walk around saying "what's up, doc" like Bugs Bunny -- and green beans. Not the soggy greyish-green colored green beans you get from a can or a frozen bag, but fresh, crispy green beans.
I'm not fond of the chicken and green beans that come in a chinese takeout container. The sauce is usually too gooey (too much cornstarch), the green beans a bit soggy (steamed for too long or beans not fresh), and the meat too tough (overcooked). So from trial and error and a lot of online research, I came up with this recipe. Something that you might find odd when you go down the list of ingredients for this recipe is baking soda. Baking soda is crucial here. I don't want to get into the science of it, but baking soda helps the beef retain its moisture -- leaving you with juicy crumbled beef.
 Easiest way to trim your green beans is to line them up (about 6 at a time) and chop off the tips. |  If you cannot find cooking michiu, substitute with white wine. |
Stir-Fry Green Beans with Ground Beef
Ingredients:
Ingredients:
| Sauce: 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth 2 tablespoon soy sauce 2 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon cooking michiu 1 teaspoon cornstarch Beef Brine: 2 tablespoon soy sauce 1 teaspoon sugar 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1 pound ground beef 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/4 teaspoon cumin | 1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons oil 4 garlic cloves, minced 1 small shallot, sliced 1 pound green beans, trimmed and halved 1/4 cup water 4 scallions, green parts only, cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces |
For the sauce:
Combine all ingredients for sauce in a bowl. Whisk and set aside.
For the beef:
In another bowl, combine soy sauce, sugar and baking soda. Whisk. Mix in the beef. Set aside and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes and up to 1 hour.
After the beef had time to sit, fold in 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and 1/4 teaspoon cumin. Smear the meat against the bowl while folding. Remove the beef from the bowl and transfer onto a flat surface. Form a circular patty, about 1 inch thick, with the beef.
Heat 2 teaspoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sear the beef patty on both sides, two minutes each side. Transfer the beef patty to a cutting board. Chop the patty in 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch pieces. Set aside.
Green beans:
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet. Add shallots and stir for 30 seconds. Add green beans and stir occasionally, 3 minutes. Add water, cover, about 3 minutes.
Remove cover and add garlic, stir for 1 minute. Add beef. Stir till you do not see any red from meat (pink is okay). Add scallions. Give the sauce, that you set aside earlier, a quick whisk and pour it over the beans. Allow sauce to thicken by simmering for about a minute. Serve.
