Fresh Chinese style green beans with homemade french fries and salad of kaki persimmon

A fresh Chinese style green beans with homemade french fries and salad of kaki persimmon  

 

The persimmon (kaki) is a sweet, slightly tangy fruit with a soft to occasionally fibrous texture. This species, native to China, is deciduous. Cultivation extended first to other parts of East Asia and was later introduced to California and southern Europe in the 19th century, to Brazil in the 1890s, and numerous cultivars have been selected. When ripe, this fruit comprises thick pulpy jelly encased in a waxy thin-skinned shell. 

What you need:

• 1 tbsp groundnut oil
  
• 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
  
• 2 rawit red chillies, seeds removed and thinly sliced
  
• 3cm piece of galangal, grated
  
• 4 spring onions, finely chopped
  
• 2 tbsp skinless peanuts, boiled for 10 minutes
  
• 1 tbsp dried shrimps
  
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
  
• 250g fine French beans
  
• 2 tsp fish sauce
  
• 3 tbsp light soy sauce
  
• pinch of caster sugar
  
• 2 tsp sesame oil
  
• 2 kaki persimmon, peeled and cut in small cubes
  
  How to prepare it: 
  

1. Heat the oil in a pan over a high heat. Once hot, add the garlic and chilli and stir-fry for 10 seconds to soften. Add the galangal and all the spring onions, along with peanuts and dried shrimps, and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
2. Add the green beans to the wok and stir-fry. The beans should begin to blister and turn slightly golden. Once everything begins to soften, add the Shaoxing rice wine, fish sauce and soy sauce and cook for a further 10 seconds.
3. Add a few tablespoons of hot water from the cooked peanuts. Leave to steam for a further 4–5 minutes until the water is almost evaporated and the beans are hot but still crunchy.
4. Season the mixture with caster sugar and sesame oil. 
5. Serve with the fries and fresh kaki persimmon.