Blistered Teriyaki-Ginger Green Beans

If I had to choose one vegetable that everyone in our family agrees on the most, it would be the long, slender green bean. No doubt. We like their sweet goodness steamed, boiled, grilled, roasted, stir-fried, or stuffed into any number of other main dishes and soups. When planning a meal, green beans are a sure bet at our table. I created these Blistered Teriyaki-Ginger Green Beans on behalf of my ongoing partnership with Land O'Lakes. It’s a recipe I’ve been meaning to master for a number of years, and one that I’m oh-so-happy to add to our family’s recipe box.

My first encounter with a side of teriyaki green beans was at a restaurant that my family used to frequent many years ago. I would always happily skip the French fries for a side of those green beans, blistered perfectly with the sweet and salty flavors of Asian teriyaki sauce.

Fresh green beans. What a treat.

I remember growing green beans in the garden on the farm, sewing the seeds into a shallow trench of soil that had a length of garden twine running parallel to it to ensure almost-straight rows. My parents fostered a pretty large garden, WAY bigger than the one I currently tend to, abundant with all kinds of vegetables and flowers, plus a huge raspberry patch. It was the best kind of snack to walk out to the garden and indulge in whatever was ripe for the picking. And sweet green beans were always a favorite of mine, juicy and super crisp.

This recipe starts out by making a simple homemade teriyaki-ginger sauce. It’s a highly versatile sauce recipe that you’ll want to have in your back pocket for dressing other fresh veggies, too.

I use spreadable Land O’Lakes® Butter with Olive Oil & Sea Salt in this recipe, adding it quickly and carefully to a super-hot cast-iron skillet, right before tossing in the fresh green beans. This is where the blistering magic of the green beans happens, my friends.

This Land O’Lakes Butter with Olive Oil & Sea Salt has great flavor and texture, and was previously only available in half-stick form. I’m glad it’s now offered as a spread, as I’ve come to rely on the convenience of the Land O’Lakes ® Butter Tubs in our everyday life in the kitchen. Just take a look in the butter cubby of our refrigerator and you’ll know that’s true; you’ll always find several varieties there.

Once the beans have blistered and taken on the extra flavor and texture from a bit of charring, they are quickly tossed with the teriyaki-ginger sauce and immediately removed from the skillet. It’s somewhat of a magnificent production. I’ll admit that I get excited around screeching hot skillets and had more than the average level of fun creating this recipe for Blistered Teriyaki-Ginger Green Beans. And from the responses I get from around the dinner table, this recipe rates better than the average green bean dish. Give it a try. I’m positive that you’ll agree.

 

Blistered Teriyaki-Ginger Green Beans

 

 

Ingredients

1 1/4 pounds fresh green beans, stems removed
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin (or substitute rice vinegar)
1 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoon minced ginger
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoon water
2 tablespoons Land O Lakes® Butter with Olive Oil & Sea Salt
Flaky sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Toasted sesame seeds
Red pepper flakes, optional

Directions
Prepare a simple ice bath by putting ice cubes in a large, wide bowl about halfway up. Add cold water to almost fill the bowl. Set aside.

Heat a medium-large pot filled half-way with water over high heat. Once water is boiling rapidly, carefully add green beans. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Immediately empty beans into a large colander, letting hot water drain into sink. Then place colander of hot beans directly into the ice bath. This will stop the beans from cooking further. If you like your green beans on the crisper/raw side, skip the blanching process altogether or blanch for less time.

While beans are chilling, prepare the teriyaki-ginger sauce. Add soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil, brown sugar, honey, ginger, and garlic to a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, and then stir constantly for one minute. Reduce heat just a bit. In a very small bowl or cup, whisk together cornstarch and water. Whisk cornstarch slurry into teriyaki-ginger sauce until incorporated. Let cook for about 5 minutes, until sauce has thickened a bit. Remove from heat.

Drain green beans thoroughly from ice bath. Place a large cast-iron skillet (mine is 12 inches wide) over medium-high heat and allow to heat thoroughly, until skillet is very hot. 

Once hot, add the Land O Lakes® Butter with Olive Oil & Sea Salt and then quickly add the green beans and toss a few times to coat evenly. Turn the heat up just a bit, then let the beans sit on the hot skillet to char and blister. This process is quite noisy, as the beans crackle and pop in the hot skillet. After a minute or two, peek at a green bean that is in direct contact with the bottom of the skillet. If it is blistered, then give all the beans a toss, letting other beans get some blistering time on the hot skillet. Repeat this process once more, until you have a good amount of blistering. Then drizzle 1/3 cup of the prepared teriyaki-ginger sauce over the charred beans (store remaining sauce in refrigerator for another use - it's great over any fresh vegetables). Very quickly, toss the beans a couple times to coat, and then immediately remove beans from the skillet to a serving platter. 

You will need to work quickly. If left even just a little too long in the skillet, the sugars in the teriyaki-ginger sauce will burn with the high heat. Sprinkle beans with some flaky sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and toasted sesame seeds. If desired, also sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Serve immediately.
 

A Farmgirl’s Dabbles has partnered with Land O’Lakes for an exclusive endorsement of Land O Lakes® Butter for their Kitchen Conversations blogger program. This blog post is sponsored by Land O’Lakes.