Xiang Chang Chao Si Ji Dou
香腸炒四季豆·(xiāng cháng chǎo sì jì dòu)
便當 (Biàndang) - The Taiwanese Bento Box for School and Office
On a Tuesday morning, a grandmother snaps the ends off string beans (sìjìdòu) for a Taiwanese biàndang, slices diagonal coins of plump Taiwanese sausage (xiāngcháng), and drops them into a carbon-steel wok. That sausage renders out a caramelized oil that wraps around every crisp green bean. The stir-fry cooks fast, refuses to go limp in a lunchbox, and leaks its garlicky pork fat straight into the white rice underneath. Pack it into a stainless-steel box over hot rice and snap the lid shut while the steam rises.
Ingredients
- fresh green beans1 lb
- Taiwanese sweet pork sausages6 oz
- garlic4 small cloves
- red chili1 small
- neutral cooking oil1 tbsp
- Taiwanese rice wine1 tbsp
- kosher salt1/2 tsp
- ground white pepper1/4 tsp
- granulated sugar1/4 tsp
- chicken bouillon powder1/4 tsp
Method
- 01
Blanch the green beans in salted, oiled boiling water for 90 seconds.
Bring a medium pot of water to a rolling boil, then add a generous pinch of salt and a few drops of cooking oil. Drop the beans in; the oil coats the skins and locks in the bright green chlorophyll so they won't turn a sad, muddy brown when reheated tomorrow.
- 02
Shock the beans in cold water and pat them bone-dry.
Drain immediately and run under ice-cold tap water to stop the cooking. Spread them on a clean kitchen towel and pat thoroughly dry so they sear rather than steam in the skillet.
- 03
Sear the sausage slices in a wide skillet over medium heat until caramelized.
Add the 1 tablespoon of oil and the sausage coins to the pan. Let them sizzle for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the edges are browned and crisp and the pan is coated in red-tinted, spiced pork fat. Watch closely, as their high sugar content makes them burn fast.
- 04
Bloom the garlic and chili in the rendered sausage fat.
Push the sausage slices to the perimeter of the skillet, tilting the pan slightly so the fat pools in the center. Toss the sliced garlic and chili into the fat and let them sizzle for 15 seconds until fiercely fragrant.
- 05
Crank the heat to medium-high and toss in the dried green beans.
Stir-fry rapidly for 1 minute so every bean gets slick with the garlicky pork fat.
- 06
Season the stir-fry and deglaze the pan with rice wine.
Sprinkle the salt, white pepper, sugar, and bouillon powder evenly over the beans and toss for 30 seconds. Pour the rice wine down the scorching-hot inner rim of the skillet—not directly onto the food—so it vaporizes on contact, wrapping the beans in a cloud of savory steam. Give it one final toss and pull from the heat immediately.
Notes
Buy real Taiwanese sausage, not Cantonese lap cheong.
Look in the freezer aisle of any Asian grocer (like 99 Ranch or H Mart) for plump, semi-fresh Taiwanese links from brands like Black Bridge (黑橋牌) or Hsin Tung Yang (新東陽). Hard, dried Cantonese sausage is too salty and lacks the sweet, juicy fat this dish relies on.
Don't skip the oil in the blanching water.
It sounds like an old wives' tale, but that microscopic film of oil protects the beans from oxidation in a packed lunchbox and keeps them looking jewel-green even after a trip through the office microwave.