Szechuan Asparagus

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds asparagus (or Chinese long beans or green beans)
2 T peanut oil
2 tablespoon garlic, chopped
2 tablespoon ginger, chopped
1 teaspoon chili paste
10-15 dried red chiles, chopped or whole.
2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
1 T water
1 teaspoon sugar
2 T rice wine
1 tsp rice vinegar
pinch white pepper
1 tsp fermented salted black beans ( or 1/2 cup ground pork)
1/3 C roasted crushed peanuts
1 scallion, chopped

Instructions:

Trim off tough ends of asparagus and cut into 2 inch pieces. Chop ginger and garlic. Chop scallions. Crush peanuts. Get all your other ingredients ready to use by the stove top.

* If using green beans see note below*
In a wok, heat peanut oil on nigh heat until it just begins to smoke. Turn heat to medium high. Add ginger, and stir constantly for 30 seconds, to prevent browning. Add garlic, stir another 30 seconds to one minute until golden brown. (If using ground pork, brown it now). Turn heat to medium. Add asparagus, stir 2 minutes. Add chiles and rice wine. Then add remaining ingredients (except for peanuts and scallions). Stir until asparagus is al dente and liquid has reduced. Garnish with peanuts and scallions.

* If using green beans or long beans, sauté them in the peanut oil before adding the ginger and garlic. (They take longer to cook than asparagus.) Remove them from the oil when just tender, about 5 minutes, and set them aside. Then sauté ginger and garlic, following the recipe above, and adding the green beans back in the wok after all the other ingredients have been stirred together and reduced a little.

From feastingathome.com