Many Thai restaurants have something called "dry-fried beans," which are
long beans (or string beans) stir-fried with chiles and garlic. I wanted
something similar, but slightly different.
I started by partially poaching two chicken thighs in 3 cups of water. I
only simmered them for about ten minutes. I added the chicken and the
poaching liquid into my rice cooker with a cup-and-a-half of long-grain
rice. Set the rice cooker on its merry way.
I had most of a fairly-large container of string beans in the refrigerator.
I washed them, cut off the stems, and cut them into pieces about an inch and
a half long. Then I steamed them for about twelve minutes.
This rice cooker (about which I've expressed great satisfaction in the past)
tells you when the rice has about ten minutes left to cook. At that point,
I started heating Szechuan-peppercorn-infused canola oil in a stir-fry pan.
When it was just starting to smoke, I added the cut-up string beans and a
big dollop of the chunky kind of chili-garlic sauce
(www.gothamist.com/attachments/food_joe/chilisauceresized.jpg).
When the beans were just starting to show some brown flecks, I added a
drained can of bamboo shoots and continued to stir-fry until they were
heated through. Then I took the pan off the heat.
When the rice was finished, I removed the chicken thighs, pulled the meat
off the bones, and chopped it coarsely, including the skin. I added the
meat to the stir-fry pan and drizzled with some more Szechuan peppercorn oil
and chili-garlic sauce.
I divided the rice and stir-fry into two halves. One half went into the
fridge; the other half went into containers for me to take to work, which is
where I am now.
I just finished eating, and I must say that I'm very happy with the way it
turned out; I'll definitely make this again.
Bob