Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Crispy Green Beans

When fresh green beans are cooked perfectly, you can taste their fleshiness and sweetness. I like my green beans fried in a tempura-style batter that’s light and fluffy. I use my SYD Hot rub to give it a little kick and you can serve it with some Ranch dressing on the side. This dish makes a great snack or appetizer entre. The fluffiness comes from combining cornstarch with flour and adding some baking powder to make the batter crispy. The sugar adds a very slight sweet note to enhance the flavor of the beans. The egg yolk helps to bind the ingredients together and gives the batter an appetizingly nice yellow color. The secret is to use ice cold water to mix the batter with a fork and don’t try to completely dissolve the dry ingredients. Some lumps in the batter result in a more crunchy texture. You can even sit your batter bowl on top a bowl of ice to keep it cold while you’re cooking a big batch of crispy green beans. Use clean vegetable oil and skim the bits of batter from the oil so they don’t burn. The amount of ice-cold water you add to the batter will determine how thick the batter will be and how much of it will coat the green beans. Some folks like a very light batter so the green bean are not thickly coated. Some folks like the opposite and like the whole bean completely covered in batter. Try it both ways, thick first, and then thin out the batter with more ice water to see what you like best. As soon as the beans come off the hot oil, be sure to season with more rub while they are still hot.

  • Total Time: 45 mins
  • Yield: 4 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • Batter
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon SYD Hot rub (or substitute with 1/2 tablespoon Kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper)
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 egg yolk
  • Between 1/3 to 1/2 cup of ice-cold water (make sure you have ice-cubes in the water)
  • Vegetable
  • 1 lb green beans
  • 4 cups canola oil
  • Finishing spices
  • 1 tablespoon SYD Hot Rub
  • Ranch dressing to dip if you like

Instructions

  1. Rinse green beans in cold water. Drain in colander
  2. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Add egg yolk. Add ice-cold water and mix with fork. Do not mix completely and leave some lumps in the batter. Control the thickness of your batter by using between 1/3 to ½ cup of water. Use about 1/3 cup if you like your beans thickly coated. Use about ½ cup if you like your beans with less batter
  3. Heat 4 cups of canola oil in a cast iron skillet or saucepan until 360 degrees
  4. Dip the green bean in the batter and gently drop into the hot oil one at a time. Lean the bean away from you when you lower it so you won’t get splashed with the hot oil
  5. Repeat but do not overcrowd the pan so the oil temperature does not drop too much. If the temperature drops too low, the batter will be limp and oily
  6. Remove with slotted spoon when the beans are golden brown, about 2-4 minutes depending on how much you have in the pan
  7. Place on paper towels and season with a sprinkle of SYD Hot rub immediately
  8. Serve immediately.
  • Author: Harry Soo
  • Prep Time: 30 mins
  • Cook Time: 15 mins
  • Category: Vegetable Side
  • Cuisine: American