Chinese Recipes | Cooking Tips | Good Eats

So you thought you can just buy a pack of green beans, throw them into the frying pan and start frying your heart out eh?

Wrong.

If you buy your green beans from a Chinese supermarket, they usually do not come pre-washed. Rachael Ray’s advice is that when we come back from the supermarket from our major supermarketing day, we should take some time to wash and pack our vegetables so that they are ready to be used anytime. Is that correct?

Well, yes and no. I did just that but my green beans felt a bit dry when I took them out from the refrigerator a few days later. When I stir-fried them, they also looked dry! So I asked mom, “How do I keep my green beans moist during cooking?” Here’s her advice:

(1) Prewash the green beans only if you know you are going to cook them the same day or the next day.

(2) Soak the green beans in water for a while to remove any dirt. (If you just rinse them without soaking, the dirt might still be stuck onto the green beans.)

(3) Rinse over running tap water. Because you rinsed them, they will have moisture, so when cooked, it won’t dry out. If you are keeping for the next day, go to step (4).

(4) Air-dry the vegetables before wrapping them in a damp paper towel and keep them in a plastic bag. It’s important to air-dry the vegetables, otherwise you risk them turning mouldy.

(5) You can also cut off the tips of the green beans before storage.

Tip:

If you intend to store the green beans for a few days, (maybe because you have sudden cravings for a burger and fries and do not intend to cook), then please please do not pre-wash them. Store them as is in the refrigerator.

At the very most, transfer them to a clean plastic bag (other than the one you got from the supermarket cos the lady who bagged your groceries may have touched money - cos sometimes she’s the cashier too right?)

When you want to cook them, then go through the steps (1) - (5) mentioned above.

Makes sense?