Oriental Grean Beans

by Mark Dorian
(San Diego, CA)

I browsed oriental green bean recipes for a half hour, but none of them turned me on. So I decided to wing it. Glad I did. Turned out great. Here's the recipe:

1 lb green beans (the younger the better)
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil, with a dash of dark sesame oil
1/2 cup of drippings from sauteed portabella mushrooms
1 teaspoon beef powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
dash of ginger (grated or powder)
dash of pepper

Snip off ends of beans, put whole beans in plastic bag with 1 Tablespoon water. Tie the end of bag. Microwave 3 minutes. Be careful - that steam is superheated. Let it cool a little. Toss beans in ice water.

Drain and dry the beans.

Saute in hot oil for one minute. Add sauce.
Serve.