By popular demand I now present to you my blistered miso green beans recipe. Green beans are a wonderful summer vegetable. This summer I’m growing purple podded beans in my garden with limited success. Hopefully I will be able to re-plant some seeds for a fall crop in attempt to make at least one full dinner portion! Mostly I have been getting green beans in my Summer CSA or the local farmer’s market. I cannot hope to count all of the ways I love to prepare green beans, but this recipe is definitely at the top of my list. This is a dish I’ve played with for a while now and had the chance to prepare for some friends while in Maine this summer. They were a hit once again, so therefore this post.
While in Maine my friends and I happened upon a little farm stand selling fermented foods called Thirty Acre Farm. We were on our way to a produce market beyond it but were able to conveniently pull off the road at the delightful minute barn on the return. We found three coolers I believe from which I selected hot sauce, sauerkraut, some sausages and miso paste.
The star ingredient in this recipe, aside from the beans themselves, is miso paste. From many accounts Miso originated in China as early as the 4th century B.C. It was likely brought to Japan by Buddhist monks although the exact date is unclear. Miso is made by a fermentation process which can take as little as three weeks, or for more intense varieties, up to three years. Fermentation is something that I am currently learning a lot about. It’s a fascinating biological process that preserves food and has the power to unlock nutrients making them more available for our bodies to absorb. This is a nutritious food, especially high in protein. Today Miso is most widely associated with Japanese cooking and a staple in the Japanese diet.
Miso is an ingredient I like to find uses for often in my cooking. The miso paste I happened to find in Maine is from a small family owned operation called go-en fermented foods. This is a handcrafted product made in small batches and with locally sourced ingredients. This miso certainly has my stamp of approval, I think its wonderful! I’m hoping they are able to expand beyond Maine as I would love to purchase more. If you live in or near Maine check this product out and of course, make Blistered Miso Green Beans!
Blistered Miso Green Beans
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Miso Paste
- 2 tbsp Soy Sauce I used reduced sodium
- 2 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
- 1 tbsp Light Oil like avocado oil, to prevent burning
- 3 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 lb Green Beans washed and dried very well
- 7 Cloves Garlic peeled and sliced
- 1 tsp Red Pepper Flake or to taste
- Sesame Seeds for garnish
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix miso, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar
- In a large cast iron or heavy bottomed pan, heat oil over medium high heat until oil shimmers, make sure the bottom of the pan is generously covered with oil,
- Drop in green beans, spread out evenly in the pan, beans may sizzle, you may cover with a splatter screen if needed. Allow beans to cook undisturbed for 3-5 minutes until one side is blistered and a bit browned
- Toss beans and cook for another 3-5 minutes undisturbed
- Stir in garlic and red pepper flakes, cook for about a minute or until garlic begins to brown and is fragrant
- Pour in sauce, turn off heat, continue to stir until mostly reduced
- Move to a serving dish, be sure to scrape brown bits from the bottom of the pan and add them to the beans. Top with sesames seeds, serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- Dry your green beans completely before frying so to reduce oil splatter. I like to do this in a clean kitchen towel to save paper. I roll my beans up in the towel and let them sit while I prep other ingredients.
- If you need to cover your beans while frying to reduce splatter use a splatter screen rather than a pot lid. This will prevent steaming the beans and help with blistering.