Name: Spicy Long Beans with Ginger, Garlic, and Anchovies
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 lb long beans; 1 tablespoon EACH: toasted sesame oil and cooking oil; 1 tablespoon EACH: minced garlic and minced ginger; 1 tablespoon anchovy paste (or minced anchovies); 1 tablespoon sriracha; 1 tablespoon soy sauce

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What do you get when you combine long beans, ginger, soy sauce, and sesame oil? A long beans recipe that makes for an outstanding side dish that takes a quick 15 minutes to make. You need to try this!

Long beans are one of those ingredients I keep coming back to—they’re crisp, savory, and full of flavor when cooked right. Slightly less sweet than green beans, they have a fresh, earthy taste that really shines in bold, savory dishes like this one.

I cook them quickly in a mix of toasted sesame oil and cooking oil, then add garlic, ginger, anchovy paste, sriracha, and soy sauce. The result is a pan of beans that are tender-crisp with just the right amount of bite, coated in a deeply savory, slightly spicy sauce.

I love how the flavors build—garlicky, gingery, umami-rich, with a gentle heat from the sriracha. It’s a simple recipe that delivers big flavor, and one that always earns long beans a permanent spot in my kitchen.

a picture of long beans — True to their name, long beans can reach up to 3 feet long!

Is this a traditional Chinese long beans recipe?

Bold, spicy Sichuan flavors inspire our recipe for long beans. I use Sriracha to make these a little spicy, which is not a traditional Chinese ingredient. But most of us have a bottle in our fridge, and it adds great flavor to these beans.

In addition, I use ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and soy sauce to add loads of flavor to these beans.

Anchovies bring this recipe a big umami punch. While I use the Italian variety as I always have some in my fridge, using cured fish to add flavor to recipes is common throughout Asia—think fish sauce, salt fish, and Chinese dried anchovies.

So while this isn’t a traditional Chinese long bean recipe, I promise it’s delicious!

Spicy Long Beans with Ginger, Garlic, and Anchovies

Prep: 5

Cook: 10

Total: 15

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What do you get when you combine long beans, ginger, soy sauce, and sesame oil? A long beans recipe that makes for an outstanding side dish that takes a quick 15 minutes to make. You gotta try this!

Ingredients

▢ 1 lb long beans
▢ 1 tablespoon EACH: toasted sesame oil and cooking oil
▢ 1 tablespoon EACH: minced garlic and minced ginger
▢ 1 tablespoon anchovy paste (or minced anchovies)
▢ 1 tablespoon sriracha
▢ 1 tablespoon soy sauce

Instructions

Trim the ends off of the long beans and cut them into 3-inch lengths.
1 lb long beans
Bring 3 inches of salted water to a boil in a medium-sized pot. Add the long beans and cook for 2 minutes. Drain the water and set the pot aside.
Heat the oils in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for one minute.
1 tablespoon EACH: toasted sesame oil and cooking oil, 1 tablespoon EACH: minced garlic and minced ginger
Add the long beans, anchovy paste, sriracha, and soy sauce to the pan and stir well. Cook the beans for 1-2 minutes, or until they are tender but still have some crunch. Serve right away.
1 tablespoon anchovy paste, 1 tablespoon sriracha, 1 tablespoon soy sauce

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving = ¼ of the recipe, Calories: 128kcal (6%), Carbohydrates: 10g (3%), Protein: 5g (10%), Fat: 8g (12%), Saturated Fat: 1g (6%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.03g, Cholesterol: 3mg (1%), Sodium: 381mg (17%), Potassium: 320mg (9%), Fiber: 0.1g, Sugar: 0.1g, Vitamin A: 988IU (20%), Vitamin C: 24mg (29%), Calcium: 68mg (7%), Iron: 1mg (6%)

We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.