Last Updated on February 9, 2021 by Simon Fan
Yardlong beans, or jiang dou (豇豆) in Mandarin, have been cultivated in the warmer parts of Asian countries for centuries and are widely used in Asian cuisines. They’ve also been gradually “discovered” by professional and home cooks in the West who are interested in expanding their vegetable horizons.
The yardlong beans you typically find at farmers’ markets or Asian grocery stores are harvested young for their tender and edible pods before the seeds mature and expand. While they may look like a longer version of green beans, they’re more closely related to black-eyed peas. For that reason, they have a denser texture and a more intense “bean” flavor than green beans.
In the kitchen, you can certainly cook them the same way as you would with green beans. For example, you can blanch them in boiling water and serve them in a salad, or add them to a stir-fry. However, because their texture and flavor hold up well in long cooking, I also like to cook them in stews and braises together with meat or strong-flavored seasonings, such as Chinese fermented black beans, fish sauce, or chili paste. During stewing or braising, they turn luscious without getting mushy and become intensely flavorful after absorbing the flavors from the cooking liquid.
The recipe below may look simple, but the dish you’ll get tastes surprisingly complex. It’s a great way to use tomatoes at this time of the year, when they’re abundant and at their peak. Grating them to make a lush tomato sauce is a technique (and a great idea) I learned from Manresa, an excellent cookbook by Chef David Kinch.
Yardlong beans simmered in tomato sauce
Serves 2
Ingredients
8 oz (230 g) yardlong beans, ends trimmed and cut into 2-inch (5 cm) lengths
1 large tomato, about 7 oz (200 g)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
Directions
- Blanch the beans in boiling water for 2 minutes, then drain well.
- Cut the tomato horizontally in half. Grate the cut sides on a box grater to make a tomato sauce, and collect it in a bowl.
- Place a wok or skillet over medium heat until hot, then swirl in the oil. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the garlic and stir-fry until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the tomato sauce, bring to a boil, then lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Season the sauce lightly with salt and add the blanched beans. Simmer uncovered, adding a bit of water if the liquid is drying up, until the beans reach your desired doneness, 5 to 8 minutes. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve hot or warm.
