Suá Green Beans with Shiitake 'Bacon'
Shiitake “bacon” seasoned with chiles, preferably the erjingtiao variety, is the garnish for these stir-fried green beans, aromatic with ginger and garlic. They’re inspired by a version at Suá Superette, the market Jing Gao opened in Larchmont, which she describes as “Pret a Manger meets Sichuan flavors.”
The green beans can be blanched a day in advance and then stir-fried before serving.
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
Cut the shiitake caps into ¼-inch-thick slices. In a large mixing bowl, combine the avocado oil, agave, red chile flakes, granulated garlic, salt and pepper. Add the sliced mushroom caps, toss to distribute the seasoning ingredients and gently massage them into the mushrooms.
Lay the mushrooms on the prepared sheet pans in a single layer, making sure they don’t overlap.
Bake until desired crispness, 20 to 25 minutes, flipping the mushrooms and turning the baking sheet halfway through.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside. Working in two batches, boil the beans until just tender but still crisp and bright green, about 4 minutes, being careful not to overcook. When done, plunge the beans into the ice water to stop the cooking, lift out immediately when cool and drain on towels. (The green beans can be made to this point up to a day in advance and kept refrigerated, wrapped in towels.)
When ready to cook, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a wide skillet over high heat. Add half the beans, half the ginger and half the garlic, and cook, stirring and tossing constantly, until the beans are heated through and the ginger and garlic are softened and aromatic. Sprinkle with salt, and remove to a serving dish. Repeat with the remaining oil, beans, ginger and garlic.
Serve garnished with the shiitake bacon.
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