Green Beans with a Mountain of Panko is my latest statement side dish invention!
Blanched beans smothered in a billowy tahini yogurt sauce piled high with a mountain of crunchy parmesan panko breadcrumbs.
Let me paint the picture for you.
Unremarkable beans
Theres a good amount of unremarkable looking blanched green beans.
(Nobody is jumping up and down at this stage.)
Theyre smothered with a generous amount of billowy tahini yogurt sauce (people start to perk up).
Unremarkable beans
Then an enormous mound of golden salty parmesan panko is piled on top (people start gathering).
Then said people dig in.
If every vegetable side dish was this amazing, EVERYBODY would eat their greens!!!
Billowy tahini sauce
Ingredients
Heres what you better make your new favourite green beans recipe!
Green beans
Yes!
You need green beans for this recipe!!
Golden parmesan panko
Whipped sounds fancy for a sauce that takes 20 seconds to whisk!!
Its almost like soft whipped cream.
Plain yoghurt Not sweetened, and not flavoured.
Tahini Paste made with sesame seeds.
Usually found in the health food aisle at grocery stores.
Use hulled tahini (more common), not un-hulled which is darker and more bitter.
The jar label will specify which it is.
Lemon For tangy lemon flavour.
Garlic Because it makes it tastier.
Finely grate it using a microplane so you dont have big lumps in the sauce.
CRUNCHY TOPPING
Parmesan and panko breadcrumbs fried up in olive oil until golden and crunchy.
You know its gonna be good!
Panko breadcrumbs A Japanese breadcrumb favoured for the extra-crispy coating it gives crumbed foods.
Substitute with regular breadcrumbs if you cant find it.
Parmesan Grate your own (better flavour) or use store bought pre-grated (the sandy pop in).
Olive oil For pan frying until golden.
Tahini sauce Whisk, microwave 20 sec, whisk again.
Panko Mix, pan fry.
I did promise you easy!
Here are step photos (and a few more words on each of those steps!).
I only do that for company (and recipe photos ).
Boiling Bring a large pot of water to the boil.
There is no need to waste your precious cocktail ice on this step.
Tap water is all you need!
Dry Spread the beans out on a tea towel and pat dry.
Or, if you have the time, just leave them to air dry.
We need to dry them else the oil wont stick and they will taste watery.
Season Put the beans in a bowl and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Everything else
Golden panko Mix the panko, parmesan and olive oil in a bowl.
Then toast in a non-stick pan for 4 to 5 minutes until golden.
Let it cool before using.
Whipped tahini yogurt sauce Whisk the ingredients in a heatproof bowl just to combine.
Microwave for 20 seconds on high, then whisk again.
Prevent screen from sleeping
Watch as it transforms into almost like a softly whipped cream consistency!
No microwave?Set the bowl over a saucepan filled with 1/2.5 cm of simmering water.
Then whisk as the mixture warms up slightly, it will transform into the whipped cream texture.
Assembling Pile the green beans on a large plate.
Pour the Whipped Tahini Yogurt Sauce over then pile the panko on top.
Proof of tastiness Look how happy I am!
Its coming up to holiday season, we can do better than plain steamed beans!!
Heres how to make ahead:
Beans Cook today, refrigerate overnight.
Whipped tahini sauce Mix together, dont microwave.
Then do the microwave and finally whisk prior to serving.
This sauce will lose the soft whipped texture the longer it sits out.
Bring to room temperature before using.
Assembling Then this part is really nice and quick.
No fiddling, just spread the beans on a plate, smother with sauce and pile on the panko.
Serve as a vegetable side dish.
Life of Dozer
Dozer being measured for something special….NOT an outfit!!
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