Din Tai Fung Green Beans with Garlic
Din Tai Fung green beans with garlic, reverse-engineered from DTF's employee training materials. This 6-ingredient recipe uses a two-stage garlic system (homemade garlic oil plus fresh minced garlic), mushroom bouillon, Szechuan preserved mustard stems (zha cai), and Taiwanese cooking michiu. The beans are flash-fried at 375°F to blister the skins, then tossed in a wok with the seasoning for about 30 seconds. Every ingredient DTF actually uses, adapted for a home kitchen.
Servings 2 servings
Calories 250kcal
Equipment
- 1 Made-In Carbon Steel Wok For deep-frying and stir-fry
- 1 All-Clad Saucepan For making garlic oil
- 1 Fine Mesh Strainer For straining garlic oil
- 1 Wire Cooling Rack For draining flash-fried beans
- 1 Deli Containers For storing garlic oil and crispy bits
Ingredients
Garlic Oil (Make Ahead)
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil or any neutral high-smoke-point oil (soybean, canola, avocado)
- 8 cloves garlic peeled and minced (about 1 full head)
The Beans
- 12 oz green beans trimmed and cut into 3-inch segments, patted completely dry
The Stir-Fry
- 1-2 tbsp garlic oil from above
- 1/4 tsp garlic minced fine
- 1 tsp zha cai finely minced (Szechuan preserved mustard stems)
- 1 tbsp cooking michiu Taiwanese rice wine
- 1 tsp mushroom bouillon Totole brand recommended
- 1/4 tsp table salt
Deep Frying
- 3-4 cups vegetable oil or any neutral high-smoke-point oil
Instructions
Garlic Oil (Make Ahead)
- Add 1 1/2 cups neutral oil and the minced garlic to a cold saucepan. Do not preheat the oil. Starting cold lets the garlic release its flavor evenly instead of burning on the outside.
- Turn the heat to low. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the garlic turns pale gold. Pull it off heat before the garlic looks fully done. The residual heat in the oil will continue cooking it.
- Strain immediately through a fine mesh strainer into a clean heatproof container. Transfer the crispy garlic bits to a separate container. The oil is the recipe ingredient. The garlic bits are a bonus topping for rice, noodles, or these green beans.
Flash-Fry the Green Beans
- Place a wire cooling rack over a rimmed baking sheet near the stove. Do not use paper towels. Oil drips away from the beans on a rack instead of pooling against them.
- Pour 3 to 4 cups of neutral oil into a wok, Dutch oven, or heavy pot. Heat to 375°F. Use a deep fry thermometer.
- Add the green beans to the hot oil. Fry for 45 to 60 seconds until the skins blister and wrinkle but the beans are still bright green with a firm snap. They should look puckered, not limp.
- Transfer the beans to the wire rack using a wok spider. Let them drain while you prepare the wok for the sauté.
The Stir-Fry
- In a clean wok or large skillet, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of garlic oil over medium heat. Swirl to coat the surface.
- Add the minced fresh garlic and minced zha cai at the same time. Stir-fry for 10 to 15 seconds, just until fragrant. The garlic should stay white to barely translucent. Do not let it color.
- Splash in the cooking michiu. It will sizzle and mostly evaporate on contact.
- Turn heat to high. Add the flash-fried green beans and immediately sprinkle the mushroom bouillon and salt directly over them. Toss vigorously for 15 to 30 seconds until the dry seasoning dissolves and every bean is evenly coated. If you see visible granules, keep tossing.
- Transfer to a serving plate immediately. Do not let the beans sit in the wok.
Video
Notes
Why Totole, Not Lee Kum Kee? DTF's employee training materials confirm their mushroom bouillon "contains MSG as an additive." Totole lists monosodium glutamate as its fourth ingredient. Lee Kum Kee's Mushroom Bouillon Powder contains no MSG. If you cannot find Totole, any mushroom bouillon with MSG on the ingredient label works. If you use an MSG-free mushroom seasoning, add 1/4 tsp MSG separately.
Why Zha Cai? DTF's training materials list "preserved mustard greens." Look for a red-and-yellow can labeled "Szechuen Preserved Vegetable" with shredded mustard stems inside. Wujiang brand foil packets (plain, not spicy) from the refrigerated section also work. Check the ingredients on whatever brand you buy. Some cans labeled "Szechuan preserved vegetable" are actually radish, not mustard stems.
DTF Uses Garlic Twice. The strained garlic oil delivers garlic flavor through the whole dish as the cooking fat. The fresh garlic added during the sauté provides a bright, fresh garlic flavor right at the end. This two-stage approach is why DTF's version tastes deeply garlicky without visible garlic pieces everywhere. DTF's training materials list garlic oil and minced garlic as two separate ingredients.
The Garlic Oil Is Versatile. This batch makes more than one recipe needs. Use it as the base oil for any stir-fry, toss it with noodles, drizzle it over steamed vegetables, or use it anywhere you want garlic flavor without raw garlic heat. It replaces neutral oil 1:1 in any recipe. Keeps at room temperature for about a month.
Michiu vs. Shaoxing Wine. DTF uses cooking michiu, a clear Taiwanese rice wine with a clean, slightly sweet flavor. Shaoxing wine is a Chinese rice wine with a nuttier, more oxidized profile. They are not the same ingredient. Dry sherry is closer to Shaoxing than to michiu. If you cannot find michiu, sherry will work but the flavor will shift.
Wire Rack, Not Paper Towels. About 64% of oil absorption happens after the beans leave the oil. As internal steam condenses, it creates a vacuum that pulls surface oil inward. A wire rack lets oil drip away from all surfaces. Paper towels trap oil against one side of the bean.
Why No Soy Sauce? DTF's confirmed ingredient list does not include soy sauce. The "(soy base)" in "garlic oil (soy base)" from the training materials refers to soybean oil as the carrier fat, not soy sauce cooked into the oil.
Storage. Best eaten immediately. Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in a dry skillet or wok over high heat for 60 to 90 seconds.
Nutrition
Calories: 250kcal