07.14.14
My family’s favorite restaurant is Panda Machi. It opened in Alpine, California – my hometown – years ago when I was in Middle School. We had dinner there nearly every week. Granted, there were only a few sit down restaurants in Alpine at the time, but Panda Machi was the favorite. And for good reason. When I moved back to San Diego for a couple of years in 2012, it once again became the ‘go to’ spot for family meals. Nearly everything I’ve tried on the menu is delicious, but the one dish we could never go without: popcorn green beans.
They lightly coat green beans in tempura batter, deep fry them to crisp golden perfection, season them with lots of coarse salt, and serve topped with a garlic and shallot concoction that’s so good I want to lick the bowl (but instead add rice to more appropriately get the last of the garlicky goodness).
The recipe below produces a tender green bean with a coating that’s slightly thicker than your average tempura (which makes for better sauce delivery), but has the same delicate crispiness. And it comes pretty gosh darn close to what you’d find if you sat down for dinner at Panda Machi. It’s heaven when topped with the garlic and shallot recipe that follows, but can also be served alongside cheese dips, tempura sauce, or an aioli. Here I’ve also topped with freshly chopped shiso leaves and my all time favorite spice mixture, togarashi shichimi.
Ingredients
Garlic and Shallot Topping
Tags: appetizer • cooking with beer • fried • green beans • recipes • tempura