Chinese Garlic Green Beans (Din Tai Fung Copycat) (2024)

Why You'll Love This Recipe

A delicious restaurant copycat:These garlic green beans are a favorite side at many Chinese restaurants - whether the Chinese buffet or the iconic Din Tai Fung restaurant. The signature savory flavor that you expect from those restaurant green beans is so easy to replicate at home.

A healthier alternative: Traditionally Chinese-style green beans get their signature blistered texture from dry frying in oil. Dry frying is the process of frying in a wok of oil without using a batter. This recipe ditches the oil frying and opts for the air fryer instead. You won't notice a difference in taste, and you still get those iconic blistered green beans!

A quick and easy side: This green beans recipe is fuss-free. That means no fussing with hot oil, or worrying about getting the right oil temperature. Clean-up is also a breeze since you don't have to worry about disposing of the leftover oil.

Substitutions

• Soy sauce: You can use tamari or coconut aminos in place of soy sauce. I would not recommend using dark soy sauce instead of light soy, as the flavor is not the same and it will overpower the sauce.
• Chicken bouillon concentrate: Powdered bouillon or a stock cube will work if you do not have the paste version.
• Fresh green beans:You can use frozen green beans in a pinch, but I would not recommend using canned green beans due to the textural difference.

Variations

• Bok choy:Try this recipe with bok choy instead of green beans for an equally as delicious twist on this recipe.
• Spicy: Add some minced Thai red chilies or even some spicy Szechuan chili oil to the sauce for a spicy kick!
• Extra vegetables:Toss in some broccoli and zucchini for a bulkier vegetarian side dish.
• Sesame:Drizzle a few drops of sesame oil into the sauce, and garnish with sesame seeds for a hint of sesame flavor.
• Extra umami: You can sometimes find mushroom seasoning in your local grocery store, or Chinese supermarket. Mushroom seasoning adds an extra layer of umami to the green beans, which can replicate MSG.

Prep Work Before Cooking

Collecting all ingredients: This will make cooking so much easier. Gather all the spices you will need, and keep them nearby.

Trim the green beans - Trim off the stringy ends off of any of the beans.

Mince the garlic: Finely mince the garlic. If you prefer smaller bites of garlic, use a garlic press.

• ▢ 24 oz Green beans (ends trimmed)
• ▢ 2 tablespoon Soy sauce
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Vegetable oil
• ▢ 10 cloves Garlic (freshly minced)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Chicken bouillon concentrate
• ▢ ½ cup Water

• Add the trimmed green beans to an air fryer basket. Spray the green beans generously with the neutral cooking oil spray of your choice. Toss to make sure the surface of the green beans is coated. Air fry the green beans at 375°F for 10-12 minutes.

  24 oz Green beans

• Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil, or your favorite neutral oil, to a large skillet or frying pan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and lightly saute for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant but not brown.

  1 tablespoon Vegetable oil, 10 cloves Garlic

• Reduce the heat to low, and add the soy sauce, water, and chicken bouillon concentrate to the skillet. Stir well to combine the bouillon paste with the soy sauce. Let the sauce simmer and reduce for 2-3 minutes.

  2 tablespoon Soy sauce, 1 tablespoon Chicken bouillon concentrate, ½ cup Water

• Add the green beans to the skillet, and toss in the sauce. Remove from the heat, and serve.

Dry Frying Method

Heat a large skillet with 2 cups of neutral oil such as peanut oil. Avoid using olive oil, as the flavor is too intense.

Add the green beans to the heated oil in small batches, and fry until the beans are lightly blistered. Drain the excess oil on a plate lined with paper towels, and toss it with the sauce.

Recipe Notes

• Shake the air fryer basket:While the green beans are air frying, give the air fryer basket a shake periodically. This will ensure that all the beans are equally exposed to the heat.
• Adjust cooking time to your preference: If you prefer a more crisp texture to your green beans, you can shorten the air frying time to keep their snap.
• Keep the color vibrant:To keep the color of the green beans vibrant, you can blanch the green beans in boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Shock the beans in an ice water ice bath, and dry them on paper towels.