
I love trying out different side dishes when I venture in to the Asian culinary world. There are so many wonderful vegetables out there with multiple marinades creating these delicious accompaniments to the main meals. One such dish are these satay green beans, they are a great speedy dish which pair beautifully with my Thai green curry and other Chinese or Thai recipes.
I always have bottles of hoisin sauce in my fridge, it’s great both as a dipping sauce but also in marinades and sauces like this one. Combine it with natural crunchy peanut butter, some garlic and chilli and you’ve got a sauce to die for! I also prefer to blanch my green beans before throwing them into the frying pan, that way I am simply warming through the sauce and avoiding burning it whilst waiting for the beans to steam through. They only need 2-3 minutes in boiling water and they can be drained and kept aside until the shallots are translucent.
I also recommend adding the chilli flakes with the garlic so that it infuses the vegetable oil and if you want an extra kick, you can add a little extra but I prefer a simple hum in my satay sauce. By grating the ginger you release all the juices and flavour but as it can be pungent, only half an inch is needed. If you like that kick, throw in some more!
Honestly this is one of those dishes that I can never make enough of! I usually double sometimes even triple the recipe just so people don’t fight over them. The great news is they keep really well for a couple days (if they last that long) and can be reheated in the microwave easily! I’ve also enjoyed them cold on those “take to work days” but they’re much better warm – trust me!