Green Beans and Prawn Stir-Fry

Originally this post was to be about experimenting with the remaining Basics feta-like cheese as an omelette filling. Sadly, the storage instructions to "consume within 3 days" once opened were to be taken seriously, and so I had no choice but to throw it out. This however freed me up to have a look at the Sainsbury's Basics Green Beans that I first came across about a couple of years ago.

I remember disliking eating green beans as a child, but grew to like them, especially when stir-fried with sambal belacan, a paste-like sauce made from chillis and prawns. Coming over here, I noticed that most vegetables in British cooking are almost always baked or boiled, but with the exception of mushrooms, never fried. Green beans are most commonly boiled in the UK, which makes for pretty bland eating.

The green beans that are available in Sainsbury's are mostly fine beans, which are thinner and firmer in texture. The Basics green beans are a bit mushier, but most people would be fine with this, particularly since when eating out back where I come from restaurants and other eateries would use this, being cheaper than fine beans.

While defrosting the prawns, prepare the beans by snipping off the ends and halving them, and mince 2-3 cloves of garlic.

Fry the garlic under medium heat, before tossing in the green beans, followed by the prawns. Season with vinegar, and optionally, some chilli or sambal that you can probably find at your nearest oriental supermarket.

With a decent amount of rice this could be eaten on its own, however most of the time this would be shared amongst 2-3 people along with a meat-based dish. As my flatmates are usually adverse to me serving them Sainsbury's Basics ingredients I would probably have to substitute products in their own-brand line if I ever cook this for them.

Description	Price per Unit	No. of servings	Trade-up Premium	Trade-up Benefits
Green Beans	£1	200g	+£0.50	Trimmed fine beans, or Fairtrade fine beans.