Chargrilled beans with XO sauce

I don’t love the side dishes that come with your classic Texas BBQ, only because I found them to be a bit too heavy alongside the meat. There is a time and place for it, but mainly I'm looking for lighter, fresher sides to balance out the whole meal. One of the best BBQ i’ve ever had was at KGBBQ in Texas, it’s a Texan BBQ cross with Egyptian flavours and sides.

So this is my variation of a classic side dish which is chargrilled beans dressed with XO sauce and some almonds. It’s a very easy dish to make especially if you’re already using the BBQ, and it goes really well with smoked, BBQ or roast meats.

Ingredient Notes

XO sauce: XO sauce is a premium Cantonese condiment made from dried shrimp, dried scallop, chilli, garlic and cured ham. It’s intensely savoury, mildly spicy and has a concentrated umami depth that comes from the dried seafood. You’ll find it in the Asian aisle at most supermarkets or at any Asian grocery store.

Green beans: Use the freshest beans you can find. They should snap cleanly when bent, not flex and bend. Trim just the stem ends. The tail end is fine to leave on. After blanching, pat them completely dry before tossing in oil. Any moisture left on the surface will create steam rather than char when they hit the hot pan, and you’ll lose the blistered texture entirely.

Sliced almonds: The almonds add a crunchy, nutty contrast to the soft-charred beans and rich XO sauce. Toast them in a dry pan over medium heat until golden, about 2 minutes. Watch them closely as they go from golden to burnt quickly. If you need a nut-free option, crispy fried shallots work well as a substitute and give a similar texture hit.

Equipment

• Chopping board
• Chef’s knife
• Large saucepan
• Shallow bowl
• Colander
• Tongs
• BBQ flat plate or heavy-based frying pan
• Small saucepan