Spicy Szechuan Green Beans with Ground Turkey

A quick side dish of green beans cooked over high heat with ground turkey, garlic, ginger, chili paste, soy sauce, and Szechuan peppercorns. The beans stay crisp-tender, the turkey is browned and crumbled, and the sauce clings lightly rather than pooling.

By Julienne

Cook time: 12 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 450 g green beans trimmed
• 2 g fine salt
• 30 ml soy sauce
• 15 ml rice vinegar
• 45 ml water
• 6 g granulated sugar
• 4 g cornstarch
• 20 ml neutral oil
• 450 g ground turkey raw
• 1 g fine salt
• 10 ml neutral oil
• 18 g garlic minced
• 12 g fresh ginger finely minced
• 20 g scallions thinly sliced, divided white and green parts
• 2 g Szechuan peppercorns lightly crushed
• 20 g chili garlic paste
• 5 ml toasted sesame oil
• 20 g scallions thinly sliced, divided white and green parts

Instructions

1. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add the green beans and 2 g of the salt, then blanch for 2 minutes until bright green and just beginning to soften. Drain well and set aside. This step uses only part of the salt; the remaining salt is added later. Beans are bright green and still crisp at the center; drainage is complete.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, water, sugar, and cornstarch until smooth. Set the sauce aside and keep the remaining 1 g salt ready for the final seasoning. The mixture looks fully dissolved and milky with no dry starch visible.
3. Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add 20 ml of the neutral oil, then add the ground turkey and 1 g of the salt. Stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes, breaking the meat into small crumbles, until it is no longer pink and the edges are lightly browned. Turkey is opaque with no pink spots remaining and browned bits are forming.
4. Push the turkey to the sides of the pan. Add the remaining 10 ml oil, then add the garlic, ginger, scallion whites, and Szechuan peppercorns. Stir-fry for 20 to 30 seconds until fragrant, then add the chili garlic paste and cook for 10 seconds more. The aromatics smell fragrant but have not browned deeply.
5. Add the blanched green beans and toss for 1 minute to coat. Pour in the sauce and continue stir-frying for 1 to 2 minutes until the sauce thickens and lightly glazes the beans and turkey. Stir in the toasted sesame oil and the remaining scallion greens, then taste and add the remaining 0 g to 1 g salt only if needed. The sauce clings to the beans without looking watery, and the beans remain crisp-tender.