Blistered beans star in stir-fry

Chinese dish uses meat as flavoring agent, not as the main feature.

This quick skillet dinner is inspired by the dry-sautéed string beans with pork that has been my go-to when I order in from my neighborhood Chinese restaurant. The vegetable is so lip-smackingly good cooked that way — blistered and lightly charred but still crisp-tender — I cannot resist it.

It turns out, the technique is also so easy that, since first trying it myself when testing this recipe, it has officially become my new favorite way to cook green beans. Just put a little oil in a skillet, get it nice and hot, then sear the green beans, tossing now and then, until they take on that alluring texture and color.

Besides the searing technique, what also intrigues me about that particular Chinese dish is how it uses a small amount of meat as a flavoring agent rather than as a main feature. From a nutritional point of view, this is one way to include animal protein in your life healthfully, while tipping the overall balance toward more plant-based foods.

For this recipe, I used those dry-sauté and meat-as-accent techniques for a saucy, savory dish with flavors that lean toward North Africa and the Middle East. Once the green beans are cooked, they’re removed from the skillet, and ground lamb is added to brown with shallot (or onion) and garlic. Then a can of tomatoes goes in, followed by a sprinkle of earthy cumin and coriander and a warming hint of cinnamon. Once that cooks down a bit, the blistered green beans are added back to the skillet and coated with the richly flavorful, meaty sauce.

Served on a bed of nutty bulgur or brown rice, with a fresh sprinkle of mint leaves, it’s a fast and tasty weeknight meal that’s globally influenced and healthfully balanced.