Fruiting vegetables
Dried Green BeansDrying Time, Storage and a Chicken and Mustard Stew
Drying concentrates the flavor of green beans, and in simmered dishes they release a sweet, flavorful broth.
Green beans don’t get crisp when dried; they stay a little soft. They change slowly while drying, but about a week is enough. They mold easily at room temperature, so store them in the fridge.
| Drying time | Storage | |
|---|---|---|
| Dry | 4 days–1 week | 2 weeks in the fridge |
| Semi-dried | 1 day | 5 days in the fridge |
Drying times assume drying during the day in sunny weather and bringing them in at night.
How to dry green beans
- Wash: Rinse and pat dry well with paper towels.
- Trim: Trim a little off the stem end. Most green beans today are stringless, but remove the strings if they bother you.
- Lay out and dry: Lay them whole, without cutting, on a basket without overlapping, somewhere sunny and breezy. Roll them around about once a day and bring them in by evening.
Where and when to dry is covered in How to Dry Vegetables, and tools in Tools for Drying Vegetables.
When they’re done
Dry (4 days–1 week)
They’re done when they’ve shrunk thin, wrinkled, and turned a dull, dark green. They stay a little soft, but no moisture should seep out when you press them.
Semi-dried (1 day)
The surface is dry and they’re limp. In stir-fries, they don’t get watery and pick up the flavors well.
Day by day
Before drying
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Storage
- Dry: Keep in a bag in the fridge and use within about 2 weeks.
- Semi-dried: Keep in a bag in the fridge and use within about 5 days.
- Frozen: Both can be frozen for about 1 month. Add them straight from frozen to simmered dishes and stir-fries.
Fuzzy white or green growth, black spots or a bad smell are signs of mold or spoilage. Don’t eat them; throw them away. More in How to Store Dried Vegetables.
Rehydrating and using them
- Always cook them: Green beans shouldn’t be eaten raw. Dried green beans too must be cooked through, by simmering, boiling or stir-frying.
- Rehydrate: Soak in hot water for about 3 minutes and cut into easy-to-eat lengths.
- Use them dry: Add straight to simmered dishes, stews and soups.
- Good in: Stews, sesame-dressed beans (after boiling), kinpira, meat rolls.
Recipe
Dried green beans and chicken thighs braised with mustard
- About 15 dried green beans
- 250 g (9 oz) chicken thighs
- A pinch of salt
- 1 tsp coconut oil (or vegetable oil)
- A: 300 ml (1¼ cups) water, 2 tbsp sake, 1 tbsp whole-grain mustard
- Sprinkle the chicken with a pinch of salt, leave for 5 minutes, and pat off the moisture. Trim off excess fat and cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Soak the dried green beans in hot water for 3 minutes, pat dry and cut in half.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the chicken skin side down over medium heat for 3 minutes. When browned, add step 2 and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
- Add A, cover, and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Make sure the chicken is cooked through.
The flavor of the dried green beans and chicken seeps into the broth, so it’s delicious down to the last drop.
