Hed Chef: French beans with sakura ebi

I tasted this French beans dish at a restaurant and thought it a great way to use sakura ebi, a type of small red shrimp from Japan.

It has a toasty and crispy texture that is quite different from the dried prawn usually used.

Another key ingredient is preserved radish. I used sweet preserved radish from Thailand.

To reduce the saltiness, I soaked it for 10 minutes before rinsing it and chopping it up.

There are mainly two types of salted preserved radish - sweet or salty.

You can use either one, according to your preference.

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INGREDIENTS

• 50ml cooking oil
• 250g French beans, diagonally cut into 5cm pieces
• 30g garlic, chopped
• 30g shallot, chopped
• 40g preserved sweet radish, chopped
• 15g sakura ebi (shrimp)
• Dash of pepper
• Small pinch of salt (optional)

METHOD

• 1. Heat the cooking oil in a deep pan or wok over medium heat.
• 2. Place the French beans into the hot oil and fry for two minutes until the edges are slightly browned.

• 3. Turn off the heat and place French beans on a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain off excess oil.
• 4. Reserve two tablespoons of oil and discard the rest.
• 5. In a clean frying pan or wok, heat the two tablespoons of oil over medium heat.
• 6. Add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds.
• 7. Add the shallot and fry for a minute.

• 8. Add the chopped preserved radish and fry for two minutes until fragrant.
• 9. Add the sakura ebi and fry for 1½ minutes.

• 10. Add the fried French beans.
• 11. Season with a dash of pepper.
• 12. Taste and add a pinch of salt if needed.