Here's a nice vegetarian meal packed with protein from beans, which you'll find in surprising forms. I didn't know what to call it when I whipped it up, but now that I realize how the beans are the superhero of this dish, I call it the Four Bean Surprise!

Just by looking at it, you'll see where the beans come from: fresh green beans, short mung bean sprouts (you can make this at home), tofu (from soy beans) and salted black beans (pre-packaged type) .


Now, a little detour to my life. About 3 weeks ago, my virtual boss announced that he is closing up shop and going back to corporate. He didn't elaborate but I assume he wasn't able to get back on his feet after the Google Panda and Penguin updates (SEO stuff).

Anyway, the next few days after that, I felt lost. I responded to a few ads in Craigslist, set up a Fiverr account and amped up my ebay. There hasn't been a solid job so far. But I am currently on the 'testing' stage with two possible employers. Hopefully, everything will fall into place by next week.

Back to the recipe, here it is:

Four Bean Surprise

Prep time: 20 min | Cook time: 10 min | Total time: 30 min

Ingredients:
1 small pack tofu, sliced
1 cup flour
 1/2 cup dried mushrooms (champigions, shiitake, anything!), soaked in water
3/4 cup short mung bean sprouts
1/3 cup salted black beans, drained and rinsed
1 fistful green beans, sliced
1 medium red onion (shallot), chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 thumb-sized ginger, julienned
chopped Chinese parsley
1 stalk onion leek, sliced
Salt
Pepper
Cooking oil
3 tbsp Mirin
1 tbsp oyster sauce

Instructions:

1. Prepare the tofu first: Coat the tofu with flour, mixed with a pinch of salt and pepper. Fry the coated tofu until golden
2. While the tofu is cooking, prepare the vegetables starting with the mushrooms. Soak them in water and slice thinly once they've achieved the right moisture.
3. Heat about 3 tablespoons of oil in a wok.
4.Stir fry these ingredients in order: garlic, onion, ginger, musrooms, short mung bean sprouts, black beans,mirin, green beans, oyster sauce, leeks and lastly, garnish with chopped Chinese parsley.