Wok Wednesdays: Yin Yang Beans

I remember years ago when Ma would host lavish parties, which always became the talk of the neighborhood. She and Daddy sure knew how to throw a party. Nothing wild, but fun, with great food, crazy games, and a warmth that made everyone feel at home. Going even further back to when I was quite little, I can remember getting up early the next day after one of their big affairs to a house where ladies’ perfume along with cigarette smoke lingered, I picked at a few leftover peanuts and pretzels, ran my fingers over the pretty glasses that held adult drinks, peeked at some of the hostess gifts, and fantasized over someday having my own big parties. But here is the funny thing, Ma always tried out new recipes on her guests, never knowing if it would work or not. We teased her for that, sometimes gave her a good ribbing for what on earth would she do if the entire meal of new recipes bombed. Ma never wavered, she was confident, and always pulled it off. I have always said, it isn’t about being a good cook, it’s about knowing a good recipe from bad, and she mastered that. Still does!

And here’s where Yin Yang Beans come in to play. I have never made this dish before, and last night I made it for our company, with great confidence because every recipe I have tried from Grace’s Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge has never let me down, so why would it this time? Another great dish.  Thank you Grace!  The recipe called for ground pork, and after seeing the red pepper flakes in the recipe, I thought I would make it even spicier by using a smokey hot Andouille sausage in place of the ground pork. We loved the heat of this dish which went perfectly with my Company Pork Tenderloin.

Yin Yang Beans

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12 Comments

  1. Posted 07/11/2012 at 6:06 AM | Permalink

    Your beans look delicious and I especially like the use of andouille. Friends who dine with us understand that they will often be tasters for new dishes and it always turns out fine and sometimes really great. Now that you mention it, I remember waking up often to those same smells in the house.

  2. Posted 07/11/2012 at 12:12 PM | Permalink

    the andouille looks ridiculous…i want to eat the whole batch of beans!

  3. Posted 07/11/2012 at 12:24 PM | Permalink

    Love the pics, as always, and the Andouille sounds like a great idea. I look forward to trying that pork recipe soon! Just wondering — did you pickle the ginger yourself?

    • avatar Robin Sue
      Posted 07/11/2012 at 1:25 PM | Permalink

      No, I found a jar of pickled ginger at whole foods in the area that has sushi making ingredients. I hope I used the right thing. You have to pat it dry since it is in a brine.

  4. Posted 07/11/2012 at 9:48 PM | Permalink

    I love the idea of using Andouille. Must have been fabulous! I must remember this. :)

  5. Posted 07/14/2012 at 7:59 PM | Permalink

    The whole meal looks delicious. I love how daring your mom was by serving new dishes to the guests. Looks like you’ve inherited some of her adventurous spirit.

  6. Posted 07/28/2012 at 4:42 AM | Permalink

    What a stunning dinner & I love your lovely pictures too! :)
    Food that makes me smile,…a lot!

  7. avatar Wendy
    Posted 08/01/2012 at 5:40 PM | Permalink

    I feel pretty dumb asking this, but… where is the recipe?

    • avatar Robin Sue
      Posted 08/01/2012 at 5:55 PM | Permalink

      Hi Wendy,
      For the Wok Wednesday recipes the group has decided not to post the recipes but encourage readers to purchase Grace’s book. Many groups of this type do it that way. The write ups are our opinions about the recipe, any changes we made, and networking together as we share. Even those who do not have a blog can join us and learn this fabulous kind of cooking. Wok Wednesdays even has a FB page you can check out.
      Thanks!
      Robin

  8. avatar Wendy
    Posted 08/02/2012 at 2:36 PM | Permalink

    Gotcha, thanks for the response and info, I will go check out the book.
    Cheers!

  9. avatar Jennifer
    Posted 08/04/2012 at 10:03 AM | Permalink

    This looks so wonderful, but I live in the Netherlands, where spicy sausage is hard to come by. Could you recommend a substitution, considering the sausages I can get here are more bratwurst like?

    • avatar Robin Sue
      Posted 08/04/2012 at 1:41 PM | Permalink

      Jennifer,
      Bacon works well for this too. But I also think a nice Weisswurst may work as it would absord so much of the Asian flavor. Do you have access to Polish keilbasa? That would be nice as it has a smokey flavor. Hope you find something!
      Robin

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