Remember when I wrote that post a while ago about my Hakka heritage? Well, I kinda promise myself that I'd cook more Hakka dishes for the blog this year, and this Chinese long beans with ground pork is one of them. It's a stir-fry so it's really easy to prep, and you can have dinner on the table in a jiffy!
In Cantonese, we call Chinese long beans "dau gok" (豆角), and they are also known as Yardlong beans (but they're really not a whole yard long, more like half a yard). You can find them at most Asian grocery stores or markets. I've been eating dau gok since I was a kid, and can tell you that Chinese long beans are a little "chewier" and has a stronger green bean taste than regular green beans, they're usually skinnier in thickness, darker in color (although there are a handful of variety and I know there's even purple ones!).
There are a few ingredients that make this Chinese Long Beans with Ground Pork a Hakka dish. The use of pork, soy sauce, and fermented black soybeans called "dau si" (豆豉) in Cantonese. Fermented black soybeans are usually sold dried but sometimes you can also see them being sold in jars which the beans are soaked in liquid/oil. I'm used to the dried kind, and you'd just soak them in water for a few minutes then drain.
Fermented black soybeans are used in a lot of Hakka dishes as they carry a robust flavor that can be added to many hearty Hakka cooking. And if you grew up in a Cantonese household, you would know that a can of "dau si leng yu" (豆豉鯪魚), dace fish and fermented black soybeans, can go a long way with just a bowl of warm rice on those cold winter nights!
This Chinese long beans with ground pork dish, though, it's one of many Hakka dishes that my mom would serve on any given day. It just reminds me of her cooking and sitting at dinner with my family!
Chinese Long Beans with Ground Pork (豆角炒肉碎)
Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 15 mins Total time: 30 mins
Serves: 2-3
You'll need:
- 1/2 lb ground pork
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- dash of white pepper powder
- 1/2 lb Chinese long beans
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp dried fermented black soybeans
- Sauce:
- 1/4 water
- 1 tbsp Chinese Shaoxing wine
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp cornstarch
Approach:
- Season the ground pork with soy sauce and white pepper powder. Set aside and let it marinate while you continue prepping.
- Rinse, and cut Chinese long beans into 1 1/2" long.
- Soak the dried fermented black soybeans in 1/4 cup of water for 5 minutes, then drain.
- Mix the sauce ingredients together.
- Set a wok or pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add oil and twirl the pan to spread.
- Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Then add chopped onion, and cook for 1 minute. Add the ground pork and cook for 3 minutes, then add the fermented black soybeans. Add Chinese long beans and sauce, cover, and let it cook/steam for 3 minutes. Uncover, and cook for another 5 minutes.
Notes:
Adapted from The Hakka Cookbook by Linda Lau Anusasananan.