WOW BEANS

This recipe title, WOW BEANS, takes its inspiration from another food product enjoyed by some friends of mine.  It's called Yum Sauce.  A pre-packaged, all-purpose sauce that you can find on the shelves of most health food stores, Yum Sauce has adherents who would lay down their lives on its behalf.  I myself find it to be a thinly disguised replica of Vegemite.  So, if you're Australian and like yeast-paste in a jar, then you might have a response to Yum Sauce somewhere along the lines of "Yum."  If not, I wouldn't heavily recommend Yum Sauce.  But I will recommend WOW BEANS.

Also known as: Green Beans with Crisp Shallots, Chile & Mint

(Yes, Chile AND Mint!)

1 1/2 lbs. green beans

2/3 c. oil

6 oz. (5 medium) shallots, sliced and separated into rings

1 small, fresh Thai or Serrano chile, thinly sliced (red chile flakes will also do)

1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste

1/2 c. chopped fresh mint

Heat oil till hot but not smoking.  Fry shallots until golden brown.  Remove with a slotted spoon and dry on a paper towel.  Note: do not leave unattended!  The transition from raw to golden brown in frying shallots occurs in the blink of an eye.  And trust me: you WANT your crispy shallots (you may even start making them in large batches and eating them in lieu of potato chips).

Discard all but 1 Tbsp. of oil, cook chile about 2 minutes.  Add beans, salt, and stir till cooked.  Remove from heat and toss with mint.  Garnish with shallots.

Optional: In the interest of time, you can briefly blanch, boil, or steam the beans before finishing them in the saute pan.  If you cringe at the thought of another pot to wash, just cook them with the oil and chile, though it'll take a while longer.

You'll take one bite, and I guarantee the first word out of your mouth will be: WOW!