Comments on Greenish Thumb: Growing, buying, cooking Chinese long bean

I'm putting long beans on my list for next yea...

2010-07-30T07:17:31.159-04:00

I'm putting long beans on my list for next year. The green and yellow bush beans were doing OK until the really hot weather set in. It would be great to have something that would keep growing through the heat.

And I'm putting Chinese Dried Olives on my grocery list. Are they labeled in English?

I like finely chopped long beans in omelete and fr...

2010-07-26T02:54:40.355-04:00

I like finely chopped long beans in omelete and fried rice. We also stir fry long beans with dried shrimps and belacan (a shrimp paste with a pungent smell that we Malaysians love) or cooked in vegetarian and meat curries. Long beans is used in making acar, a salad mix of cabbages and carrots with peanut sauce and hot peppers.

This is one I will surely try. Yummm!

2010-07-24T16:24:07.783-04:00

This is one I will surely try. Yummm!

I don't blame your kids for sneaking tastes. ...

2010-07-22T17:53:28.810-04:00

I don't blame your kids for sneaking tastes. It looks delicious!

Probably worth the garlic breath. Mmmm
p.s. thanks for sharing this recipe.

I don't blame your kids for sneaking tastes......

2010-07-22T17:51:59.763-04:00

I don't blame your kids for sneaking tastes...it looks incredible. Worth the garlic breath.
I want to try this recipe...but no Chinese beans. Can I just do regular beans? Thanks

Those look delicious, Wendy. I bet they'd be g...

2010-07-22T15:09:04.413-04:00

Those look delicious, Wendy. I bet they'd be good in my hoi sin cod recipe. I always add green beans, snap peas or broccolini to that, but long beans cut up would be very tasty.

Yum, yum, yum! We're headed to the big city s...

2010-07-22T13:03:17.468-04:00

Yum, yum, yum! We're headed to the big city soon, and if we make it to the farmers' mkt there, I'm picking up some of these beans. (Don't know where I'd find the olives, but you never know what I might find.) I'd wanted to grow these just from the pics of them growing in the gardening catalogues -- but was afraid to in my small space for fear they'd cross genes with my family heirloom seed. Now that I know they're a crowder pea relative, though, I kind of doubt that's a danger... it's going on the list for the next kitchen garden! :D

I like that you don't get too picky with the measurements, Wendy. Who needs it, really? (Well, unless you're baking pastry, I guess...)

Great that your kids like to eat beans. Yummy

2010-07-22T07:47:51.133-04:00

Great that your kids like to eat beans. Yummy

I'm so going to try it with dried olives! I ma...

2010-07-22T01:52:03.740-04:00

I'm so going to try it with dried olives! I make mine with shallots, garlic and a equal measurement of sugar and salt (a bit more sugar than salt). These beans are in season now and I cook them once every other week.

Wendy, that sounds more than delicious! The olives...

2010-07-22T01:07:37.372-04:00

Wendy, that sounds more than delicious! The olives sound like they'd make it really interesting. I grew up on stir fried green beans and was aghast later on to find that most other preparations served outside my house involved boiling and de-flavorizing them as much as possible. (I guess that explains the need to throw piles of bacon into the vegetable dish...) You offer of seeds is so generous. I wish I had more garden space to take you up on it!

I love to stir fry long bean as well! They are esp...

2010-07-22T00:11:04.404-04:00

I love to stir fry long bean as well! They are especially nice when fried with roasted pork. Finish of with light soy sauce to taste. Yummy!

I love to eat longbeans. Would like to share few t...

2010-07-21T23:37:51.278-04:00

I love to eat longbeans.
Would like to share few tips based on my experience:

1) Choose and select young beans before cooking, the very matured ones taste terrible. (they loose the crunch and it feels like you are eating rubberbands)

2) You may have to strip off the sides, there is a long strand of sting alongside the beans - you can cut the tip and pull along. (similar to frenchbeans)

3) For added taste you can use dried prawns, fried anchovies and onions.. OMG!!! my mouth waters...

Hi, I am a newbie in gardening. Only got a patch ...

2010-07-21T22:39:06.634-04:00

Hi, I am a newbie in gardening. Only got a patch of land and pots of flowers. Your cooked long beans look very delicious! Last week, I picked some long beans at my in-laws' house, they planted it on just a tiny bit of soil next to the gate. It was an amazing sight to me! Green thumb, indeed!

Oh, Wendy: I love Chinese long beans! Actually I...

2010-07-21T22:14:46.019-04:00

Oh, Wendy: I love Chinese long beans! Actually I have grown them in the pot for the previous two years. I did not grow them this year bacause of my vacation plan. Your receipe is almost the same as what I usually do, although I am not sure what is the chinese dry olive, I got to try to find it. Sometimes I add some minced preserved black beans in addition to the garlics, which adds more flavor into it.