Twice-Fried Green Beans with Double-Blanched Garlic Recipe

Twice-Fried Green Beans with Double-Blanched Garlic

September 25, 2006

Wolfgang Puck
As long as you use a deep-frying thermometer to ensure the oil is hot enough, I learned, there’s nothing greasy about the results. The beans have a fairly nonabsorbent surface, unlike the batters or breadcrumbs coating of most deep-fried foods.

Ingredients

1 lb. haricots vert (French-style thin green beans), stems removed, or Chinese long beans, trimmed and cut into 4-inch pieces
2 to 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
Salt
1 C. good quality canned chicken broth
1/4 C. bottled oyster sauce
1/4 C. soy sauce
1/4 C. sugar
3 Tbs. peanut oil, plus 4 C. for deep-frying
Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish

Directions

Rinse the beans with cold running water. Drain well and pat them thoroughly dry with paper towels, leaving not a trace of water. Set aside.

Next, blanch the garlic. Have a bowl of ice water ready. In a small saucepan, pour in enough water to cover the garlic. Salt lightly and bring to a boil. Carefully drop the whole garlic cloves into the water and blanch for 30 seconds. Remove the cloves with a slotted spoon and immediately plunge them into the ice water to stop the cooking process. Repeat the process, again cooling the garlic by plunging it into the ice water. Drain the garlic and dry it well. The peels should slip off easily. Cut the garlic into thin slices.

In a small bowl, stir together the broth, oyster sauce, soy sauce and sugar.

In a medium sauté pan or wok over medium heat, heat the 3 Tbs. of oil. Add the garlic cloves and cook them, stirring frequently, until they caramelize to a golden brown color, 7 to 10 minutes. Add 1 C. of the sauce mixture and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until it reduces to a glaze that coats the garlic, about 10 minutes more. Set aside.

In a deep fryer or heavy-bottomed pot, heat the 4 C. of peanut oil to 375 degrees on a deep-frying thermometer. Add the string beans, in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding, and fry them for about 20 seconds. Using a wire skimmer or slotted spoon, remove the beans from the oil and drain on paper towels.

Add the beans and remaining sauce to the wok or skillet with the garlic. Toss over medium heat just until the beans are well coated, no more than 1 minute. Transfer to a heated serving plate or bowl and garnish with scallions. Serve immediatel

(Chef Wolfgang Puck’s TV series, “Wolfgang Puck’s Cooking Class,” airs Sundays on the Food Network. Also, his latest cookbook, “Wolfgang Puck Makes It Easy,” is now available in bookstores. Write Wolfgang Puck in care of Tribune Media Services Inc., 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, N.Y. 14207.)
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