Tempura Green Beans with Chile, Garlic and Sesame Aioli

This week for Tyler Florence Fridays I made his tempura string beans with a ginger, garlic, and sesame aioli. It was a perfect and delicious side to my peanut butter chicken. The tempura was thick, light, and fluffy. When I whisked in the cold club soda it bubbled up like lava and come dangerously close to over-flowing the bowl. I really like Tyler’s clever idea for the aioli. Minced garlic, red chile, and ginger (I also added sesame seeds) are sautéed in sesame oil and later used to sprinkle over the string beans. The fragrant and flavorful oil is then used to make the aioli. I love how he tied the two together.

My first batch came out almost like fritters so I thinned out the batter with a little bit more club soda. The batter was delicate and crunchy and encased the string bean trapping its moisture and sweet, crispy flavor inside. The aioli was wonderfully cool in contrast to the warm beans and spicy-hot at the same time. True bliss.

Tempura Green Beans with Chile, Garlic, and Sesame Aiolli

(adapted from Tyler Florence, Stirring the Pot pg. 146)

For the Aioli

1/4 cup toasted sesame oil

2 teaspoons ginger, minced

2 teaspoons garlic, minced

2 teaspoons sesame seeds(my addition to the recipe)

1 teaspoon red chile, minced

1/2 cup mayonnaise(like Hellmann’s or Best Foods)

1/2 cup sour cream (like Breakstones’s)

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

For the Tempura Green Beans

1 pound green beans, root-end trimmed

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

2 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 egg yolk

3/4 cup club soda, chilled

vegetable oil, for frying

Kosher salt

1 lime, cut into wedges, for garnish

1/4 bunch fresh cilantro, for garnish

For the Aioli:

Heat sesame oil in a small pan over low heat. Add ginger, garlic, chile, and sesame seeds and saute until fragrant and crispy over low-medium heat. Drain the ginger, garlic, chile and sesame seeds. Set aside, and reserve the oil.

In a blender or food processor combine mayonaise, sour cream, and the reserved oil. Add lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Puree until smooth. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

For the green beans:

In a large bowl combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt. Make a well in the center and add yolk. Gradually whisk in club soda, slowly working your way out from the center to form a smooth batter.

Pour 2 to 3 inches oil into a large heavy pot and heat to 375 degrees. Dip green beans into batter, shake/drip off excess, and fry a few at a time for 4 to 5 minutes, until golden and puffy. Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with the fried ginger mixture that was set aside earlier. Garnish with lime wedges and cilantro. Serve with Aioli.

Printable Recipe

Comments

Katy ~ says:

06/11/2009 at

Your tempura beans look positively beautiful and so appetizing. I've been looking for a recipe forever and here you have it.

Katy ~ says:

06/11/2009 at

Your tempura beans look positively beautiful and so appetizing. I've been looking for a recipe forever and here you have it.

Jenny says:

06/09/2009 at

Oh my, no need to go past the first picture, I'm sold. Looks so good.

Jenny says:

06/09/2009 at

Oh my, no need to go past the first picture, I'm sold. Looks so good.