Runner Beans With Black Beans And Chilli

A quick stir-fry dish, simple yet so tasty. I don't cook runner beans very often, simply because they are not always available. And when I do see them in the market, I would not hesitate to grab some, as we love runner beans. 

Recipe calls for the garlic and ginger to be thinly sliced, but I have chopped them instead, and have used more than the recipe calls for. Instead of boiling the runner beans for two or three minutes, I have simply microwaved them for two minutes, then proceed with the recipe.

The stir-frying part is pretty quick, takes only a few minutes. One of my usual way of stir-frying runner beans is to cook with chopped dried prawns. This recipe uses black beans, another delicious way of cooking these runner beans. We love this dish, makes a great side dish to eat with rice and other main dishes. It is now on my list of "everyday-dish" rotation!

Runner Beans With Black Beans And Chilli
(Every Grain Of Rice, by Fuchsia Dunlop)
250gm runner beans
1 garlic clove
an equivalent amount of ginger
1/2 fresh red chilli
2 tbsp cooking oil'
1 tbsp fermented black beans, rinsed and drained
1-2 tsp ground chillies, to taste
1 tsp light soy sauce
salt

Top and tail the beans and cut evenly, on the diagonal, into thin slices (use a runner bean cutter if you have one). Peel and slice the garlic and ginger. Cut the chilli, on the diagonal, into thin slices.

Bring a panful of water to a boil and boil the beans for two to three minutes, until just tender. Drain and shake dry.

Add the oil to a seasoned wok over a high flame. Add the garlic, ginger and fresh chilli and stir-fry briefly until fragrant. Add the black beans and ground chillies and, again, stir-fry briefly until fragrant. Tip in the runner beans and continue to stir-fry until hot and sizzlingly delicious, adding the soy sauce, and salt to taste. Serve.