If you get it, this is an easy Chinese-style bean sprouts stir fry with garlic, green onion, ginger, dried pepper, and even Sichuan peppercorns. It is easy but excellent, similar to our popular Chinese cabbage stir-fry.

You can use this as a side dish. It differs from the Korean-style bean sprout salad since it tastes spicy and sour. My favorite way is to serve it with some natural “big protein” dishes like Hong Shao Rou- Red braised pork belly or sweet and sour ribs.

Using chili peppers with aromatics in vegetable stir-frying is a very popular Sichuan method. The oil absorbs the aroma of those ingredients and then coats the vegetables. If you love Sichuan peppercorn, add some dried Sichuan peppercorn for a unique numbing feeling.

Bean sprouts were my childhood food when I saw my grandma grow them inside a large bamboo basket. She then cooked them in many ways—in soups, stir-fries, and even as a salad. We could have a side vegetable for around 2-3 days with just a bowl of bean sprouts or mung beans.

Easy bean sprouts stir fry| chinasichuanfood.com

Ingredients breakdown

Bean sprouts: This dish uses bean sprouts, which provide a mild, slightly sweet flavor and a crisp texture. You can use either soybean sprouts or mung bean sprouts.
Garlic and ginger: Garlic and ginger add a pungent, slightly spicy flavor.
Dried chili peppers: Dried chili peppers add heat and depth of flavor to the dish. The amount used can be adjusted to suit your taste preference. It is a typical method of Sichuan cuisine in which we use dried chili pepper mainly for aromatics but not for the spicy taste. You can also use paper flakes.
Light soy sauce: Soy sauce is a key ingredient in many Asian cuisines and provides a salty, savory, and unami flavor.
Black vinegar: Black vinegar has a milder taste than other types of vinegar and is often used in Chinese cuisine. It adds a slightly sour flavor to the dish, not strong but you can taste it in the final dish.

Cook’s Note

Heat your wok or pan first before adding the oil. Since we are doing quick frying, the wok needs to be kept hot enough. Move the cabbage around the wok to fully utilize the wok’s heating.
Make sure you completely drain your bean sprouts before stir-frying.

Step by Step Instructions

Remove the roots of the bean sprouts. I don’t know your opinion, but the bean sprouts don’t have a nice mouthfeel for me. Sometimes, the roots are already removed before packing. But if not, I still recommend removing these roots.

Wash gently and drain thoroughly. This is the key step to guaranteeing the dish’s success. So do this step at the very beginning.

First, heat the wok firstly and pour in the oil. Add garlic, ginger, dried chili pepper, and fry over a slow fire until aromatic. Please add the aromatics before the oil becomes super hot because that can cause burned garlic or chili peppers, bringing bitterness to the bean sprouts.

Add Bean sprouts immediately. Quickly fry the bean sprouts and green onion sections, and add salt, light soy sauce, and vinegar. This process should be finished within 30 seconds.

Mix with sesame oil and transfer out immediately.