Ginger Ume Dried String Beans

As a kid a friend of my family owned a Chinese restaurant. We would go at the end of the night after everyone had left and eat with the owners and staff. It was always a feast and one of my favorite things on the menu was the dried string beans.

One of my Christmas presents from Marie and her family was my own dehydrator. I had absconded with hers when I moved to the farm and it parked itself in the kitchen and never left. I did dehydrate a little pineapple first, but this is the first recipe in the new dehydrator and I’m super happy with the results. Okay, back to the dried string beans.

I used to make them all the time when I fried things. The trick was putting them in a very hot wok with oil. Since this is obviously a raw recipe, I was a little concerned on whether it would work.

To begin with, calling them dried string beans isn’t super accurate. They are anything but dry, the original also being called “blistered”. I didn’t know if the texture would be close since they are usually cooked till tender. My other concern was getting the flavors to marinate enough to give the full flavor affect. I replaced the fish sauce in the original with the deliciously salty taste of ume vinegar (salted plum). Well I don’t know if even the most discerning person will be able to tell the difference, they came out perfect. Tender and dazzling on the tongue.

By the way, one of the kids on the farm hates string beans. After listening to his tirade on how much he dislikes them and everyone else chiming in on how much he hates them, he was still willing to try. A blink later and half the stack was gone. Everyone scoffed them down quickly and Marie already wants me to make another batch tomorrow.

RAW VEGAN RECIPE: Ginger Ume Dried String Beans

1 lb string beans (tips cut off)

1/4 cup Shoyu

1 tblsp maple syrup

1 tblsp ume vinegar

1/4 tsp red chili flakes

4 cloves crushed garlic

1 tsp sesame oil

2 scallions (sliced)

1 thumb sized piece of ginger (peeled and grated)

Mix ingredients together and toss in string beans. Let sit in the bowl to marinate for at least an hour, tossing every 15 mins. Lay out on sheet in the dehydrator and set at 115 degrees for 6 hours, tossing every 2 hours to make sure the string beans are well coated. Serve warm or cold alone or over rice.