Fire Beans

Ingredients

• 454 g Fresh or frozen lima beans (butter beans) (Use fresh, not-dried lima beans; frozen beans work well. Boil in plain water until just tender, then drain very thoroughly.)
• 1 cup Jasmine rice (Use 1/2 cup dry rice, or about 90 g, per person; do not wash. The stated quantity makes approximately 2 servings.)
• 1.5 cup Water for rice (Use 1.5 parts water by volume to 1 part rice.)
• Oil for toasting rice (A little hot oil; amount not specified.)
• Oil for coating beans and vegetables (Enough to make the onions, chili, and ginger glisten; olive oil was used, but any cooking oil may be used. Do not oil the extremely hot pan.)
• 1 bunch Green onions (Remove roots. Slice into rounds; use the white and pale portions with the beans and reserve the green portions for the sauce. Discard dry, stringy ends.)
• 1 Fresh red chili (Use 2 chilies if desired. Remove seeds and ribs for less heat, or stop slicing before the hottest upper portion.)
• Fresh ginger (A piece about the size shown by the cook; peel, slice against the grain, and chop. Amount was not specified.)
• 3 cloves Garlic (Peel and chop for the sauce.)
• Cilantro (A handful for the sauce. Thai basil or another fresh herb may be substituted.)
• 1 Lime juice (Juice of 1 lime; use 1/2 lime for a less acidic sauce.)
• 2 tsp Cornstarch (Disperse in a tiny splash of soy sauce or water to make a smooth slurry.)
• 0.25 cup Gochujang (Korean fermented chili paste. Any chili paste may be used; for a milder sauce, replace some or all with ketchup.)
• 60 ml Soy sauce (Approximately 1/4 cup, roughly equal in volume to the gochujang. This is the only source of salt in the dish.)
• Water for sauce (Add enough to make about 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) total sauce; the mixture should look watery before cooking.)
• Sugar (Optional; add 1–2 teaspoons to balance the heat. The source gives a range rather than a required amount.)

Steps

1. 1

   Heat a little oil in a pot. Add the dry, unwashed jasmine rice and stir-toast over fairly high heat for a couple of minutes, until the starch coating browns slightly and smells nutty.

2. 2

   Add 1 1/2 cups water for each 1 cup of rice. Do not add salt. Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and keep covered until the water is absorbed.

3. 3

   Turn off the heat when the rice has absorbed the water, and let it rest covered while you prepare the beans.

4. 4

   Put the lima beans into plain water and cook until just tender, about 10 minutes after the water reaches a simmer. Test one; it should be tender but not soft enough to turn mushy during charring.

5. 5

   Remove the roots from the green onions and slice them into rounds. Keep the white and pale-green pieces for the beans, reserve the green pieces for the sauce, and discard the dry, stringy ends.

6. 6

   Slice the red chili. Remove the seeds and ribs if you want less heat, or leave them in for a hotter dish.

7. 7

   Peel the ginger, slice it against the grain of its fibers, and chop it. Chop the garlic separately for the sauce, and prepare the cilantro. Juice the lime.

8. 8

   Drain the cooked beans very thoroughly and let them steam off briefly. Drier surfaces will char more effectively.

9. 9

   Make a thick slurry by stirring the cornstarch with a tiny splash of soy sauce or water until smooth and lump-free.

10. 10

    Add the gochujang, soy sauce, lime juice, chopped cilantro, reserved green onions, and chopped garlic to the slurry. Add enough water to make about 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) total sauce. It should look somewhat watery at this stage. Add 1–2 teaspoons sugar if desired.

11. 11

    Heat the widest cast-iron skillet you have over full blast on an outdoor gas grill, with the lid closed to trap heat. The skillet should become extremely hot and nearly stop smoking; heavy, dry oven mitts are essential. This may also be done indoors only with a powerful stove and excellent ventilation.

12. 12

    If desired, rub the skillet with a very thin layer of oil before preheating to refresh its seasoning. Burn off the excess during preheating; do not add a film of oil to the fully heated pan because it may ignite.

13. 13

    Combine the white and pale-green onion pieces, sliced chili, and chopped ginger with enough oil to make them glisten. Coat every bean and vegetable lightly; the oil goes on the food rather than into the extremely hot pan.

14. 14

    Carefully add the bean mixture to the white-hot skillet, keeping your distance from the heat. Spread it out somewhat, but do not stir yet; let the beans char on the bottom while the pan is hottest and before much water escapes.

15. 15

    Once the beans have developed a good char without being incinerated, stir everything so the onions and chili cook. The vegetables will release water, so the beans will not brown much further.

16. 16

    About 2 minutes after the beans and vegetables went into the pan, pour in the sauce. Stir for 1–2 minutes, until the cornstarch thickens the sauce and it has reduced to nearly the desired consistency. Account for additional evaporation before eating.

17. 17

    Transfer the skillet carefully with heavy, dry oven mitts. Taste the beans and sauce and adjust with additional water or other ingredients if needed; the sauce may thicken more than desired and can be loosened with water.

18. 18

    Serve the fire beans over the rested toasted rice. The finished dish should be hot, sweet, sour, smoky, savory, and creamy inside the beans.

Notes

The transcript gives approximate amounts for the ginger, cilantro, cooking oil, and optional sugar. It also does not specify an exact amount of sauce water beyond producing approximately 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) total sauce. The creator notes that frozen lima beans work well, the dish can be cooked indoors with powerful ventilation, and the sauce is intentionally strongly seasoned for serving with rice.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• vegetarian
• vegan
• gluten-free if using gluten-free soy sauce
• spicy
• grilled
• charred
• smoky