Life. Love. Food

Sweet Chilli Tangerine French Beans

Rest is such an important part of not only one’s well being, but also a fountain to keep the creative juice flow going. Most of the recipes I post are born out of mindless experimentation in my down time, which I later on sharpen, refine and post for you guys months down the line. This sweet chili tangerine french bean recipe is one of those. It was the week before christmas of 2020. The work year had come to a close and the days were long, lazy, brilliantly sunny and sweaty. The mood was festive and the tongue simply demanded new, delicious things to experience. I love a plate with all food groups, each element bringing something to the table. I wanted something zesty, fresh and filling to have with my snapper and rice. My sister had bought french beans which I saw she had no plan on preparing. I just decided to make something exciting out of them. The sweet, hot, salty, nutty, zesty flavor that was borne out of this made this one of the best things I ate last December!

I was excited to share this with you guys last year, and the day is finally here!! You will love this one!


I made a dope vid to accompany the blog post. Do watch below, and subscribe!

PREP TIME: 5 min    COOK TIME:  15 min       SERVES: 3

Ingredients

350 g of french beans

3 cloves of minced garlic

1 tablespoon of minced ginger

1 heaped tablespoon of tangerine zest

1/4 cup of soy sauce

1/2 cup of roasted simsim (sesame seeds)

2 tablespoons of honey

1/4 teaspoon of chili flakes

Salt to taste

Method

Begin by searing your french beans. A quick sear is enough to cook them, and it is much preferred over boiling which is very easy to overcook them. The searing retains their color, the texture and imparts a beautiful char that adds a gorgeous smoky flavor.

Once seared and with a slight char to them, set aside.

With the french beans set aside and in the same pan, add some vegetable oil and some salt. Sautee your red onion, ginger and garlic until softened and fragrant. The first time I made this, I used only ginger. On this day, I decided to add some garlic too just so that we could have a complimentary warm note to that of the ginger.

Add the soy sauce, honey, a bit of the roasted simsim. Simsim is sesame seeds, but you can use any other nut for this. Follow this buy adding the zest of a tangerine  and the chili and then let this come to a slow simmer until thick.

Make sure your heat is low and that you are attentive because this mixture can be quick to burn. It will be slightly viscous but still easy to mix. See the consistency at 5.22- 5.26. Give it a taste at this point and if any note needs adjusting – particularly the chili and honey – do so at this stage.

How stunning does this look?!

By tangerine zest I mean the grated rind of a tangerine. It is very much accessible and even more so when we get into citrus season in May to August. In place of tangerine, orange would work well. The zestiness of this fruit cuts through the rich sweetness of the honey and adds such beautiful depth to this!

Add your seared french beans, toss and once coated, we are done. Garnish with more roasted simsim then serve.

Gorgeous!

This was the perfect side! I love how the flavor was so full bodied and unforgettable! I loved the sweet, smokey crunch of the seared french beans along with that of the nutty simsim. I love how the flavor notes bloomed as you ate and swallowed; starting with the sweet honey, then the zing of the zest and the hot after-glow of the chili as you swallow. The garlic and ginger tied everything together and this was a joy!

Kaluhi_ Kaluhi Adagala

We are now at 60k subbies and I am so thankful for your eternal support! Sasa tufike 100k! Do pass by todays video, watch and give it a thumbs up. I would greatly appreciate it!

Much love!

-K


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25 Comments

  1. David K. Muriithi

    Waaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!!

    Marry me #TheEnd

    • Kaluhi

      LMAO

  2. Marta

    I loved the unique spin on these green beans. Tangerine is a very underrated ingredient and, here, it played such a starring (delicious) role. Definitely going to be making these a lot in the future.

    • Kaluhi

      Such an underated beauty and hope to play around with it more in the future!

  3. Jesse-Gabriel

    Einfach nur köstlich, vielen Dank!
    Viele Grüße,
    Jesse-Gabriel

    • Kaluhi

      You are most welcome!

  4. Kate

    This tangerine recipe looks so great. I can’t wait to to try it myself. Many thanks for sharing this.

    • Kaluhi

      Utapenda!

  5. Cat William

    I love anything zesty, spicy, and sweet! Those flavor combos together are always a win win! This recipe is a nice switch up to the day to day veggie dish.

    • Kaluhi

      It is such a perfect switch up!! You are so right!

  6. Robin

    I am elated to discover a new way to prepare my green beans. This dish is exceptional!

    • Kaluhi

      Music to my ears!

  7. Carita

    These green beans sound so good, I could eat them as a main dish, wow! Can’t wait to try this recipe out!

    • Kaluhi

      YAAAAAASSS!!! They really do deserve the shine you gave them!

  8. Tamara

    That tangerine sauce was absolutely amazing. Full of flavor, and added such a delicious and special touch to these green beans. I can’t wait to make them again soon.

    • Kaluhi

      Glad you loved this!

    • Kaluhi

      You will love them each time round!

  9. Eric & Shanna Jones

    There were so many things about this recipe that we loved! First was the slight char on the green beans. That was a great idea! And the flavor was amazing. It will be hard to go back to regular green beans now!

    • Kaluhi

      The char does add such a delightful smokiness! Happy you loved it too and love that this recipe is a regular on your menu too!

  10. Capri

    I loved the flavor of these french beans! The tangerine provided the perfect amount of zest to complement the honey! Thanks for the great recipe! I will definitely be making this again!

    • Kaluhi

      Such a thrill to know you loved it! To many more!

  11. Chenée

    Absolutely delicious! I love the flavors in that sweet and spicy tangerine sauce — it was the perfect way to serve these amazing green beans!

    • Kaluhi

      Indeed!

  12. Jazz

    The tangerine zest gave these green beans such bright flavor. This is one of my new favorites!

    • Kaluhi

      Right?!!! It livened things up and glad you enjoyed it too!

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