Green Bean Salad With Hot Mustard Dressing

By Kay Chun

Total Time: 20 minutes
Rating: 4(448)
Notes: Read community notes

Hot mustard powder brings a sharp, spicy twist to traditional mustard vinaigrette, which complements sweet green beans well. The beans are blanched until crisp-tender, then tossed in the vinaigrette while still hot. As the beans cool, they absorb all the flavors of mild shallot, fragrant garlic, tangy rice vinegar and hot mustard. Rich, roasted pecans add nutty sweetness to balance the spicy dressing. Though the salad can be made a few hours ahead, you’ll want to top it with the nuts right before serving to preserve their crunch. The beans themselves can be served at room temperature or chilled.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 to 10 servings

Kosher salt and black pepper
2tablespoons Asian hot mustard powder (or Colman’s dry mustard powder)
¼cup neutral oil, such as safflower or canola
¼cup minced shallot
2tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
1tablespoon minced peeled ginger
1½teaspoons granulated sugar
1teaspoon minced garlic
¼cup thinly sliced scallions (from 2 scallions)
2pounds green beans, trimmed
¼cup chopped roasted pecans

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Step 2
In a large bowl, combine mustard powder and 2 tablespoons of very hot water; mix well. Let stand for 5 minutes to bloom. Add oil, shallot, rice vinegar, ginger, sugar and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Whisk until smooth, then stir in scallions.
Step 3
Once the water is boiling, add the green beans and blanch them until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Drain and transfer to the large bowl. Season with salt and pepper, and toss until evenly coated in the dressing. Let cool, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
Step 4
Transfer beans to a serving bowl or platter. Serve at room temperature or chilled, and top with the pecans.

Ratings

4 out of 5

448 user ratings

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Cooking Notes

B22 years ago

the trick with the mustard is to go slow when adding it keeping in mind you can always add more....

Steph Christopher2 years ago

The combination of shallots/vinegar/sugar balanced nicely, but you really need to love mustard to love this dressing because the mustard was strong.

Elena D.1 year ago

Substitute Dijon mustard for mustard powder and honey for sugar

rachael k2 years ago

This really needs to be eaten right after preparation. Did not store well (beans lose their crunch and the dressing gets goopy). Also agree with all the comments re: mustard. If you love it, this is great, but it is a very strong mustard flavor enhanced by the ginger. Did not feel well balanced to me, I would add some maple or honey next time.

Kathy Watson2 years ago

I was digging on this recipe ... always looking for new ways to eat those fresh beans from the garden! ... right until I came to pecans. Pecans? This Asian-leaning recipe cries out for peanuts, or perhaps fried shallots if you want a little crunch. Pecans? Still kinda shaking my head on that one.

Tiffany W2 years ago

Word of advice: the mustard is really strong. A little goes a long away and I’d start with less than what you might think you’d need at first. Instead of sugar, I added a tablespoon of honey. I omitted the walnuts and added sliced almonds instead

Mary Kuilema2 years ago

MUCH better the 2nd day; that took the harsh edge off of the mustard ( I used Coleman's) and the beans turned out sweet and delicious.

Josh1 year ago

I didn’t have enough green beans, so I added some fingerling potatoes. The dressing is really nice and it gets better the next day.

anne2 years ago

Brilliant combination of the hot, the sweet and the salty.

SharonR2 years ago

Thanks for the tip!

Traveling Patty2 years ago

Did you decide try it with pecans? I tried a recipe once with peas, onions, sun dried tomatoes and pine nuts. Seemed like an odd combo but one of the best pea recipes I've ever had!

Fran1 year ago

I used regular yellow mustard powder and the result was excellent.

Jim1 year ago

For a shortcut, use four packets of Chinese mustard from your carry out stash. I’ll make this again but will blanch the beans for 4 minutes.

Sharon6 months ago

This was really good the first go 'round, but AMAZING 3 days later when I found the left-overs lurking in the back of the fridge. The beans had absorbed a ton of the flavors and were great. I did not have Chinese mustard, so used Coleman's and did let it bloom in the hot water for at least 15 minutes. YUM!

Devon7 months ago

I used regular ground mustard (not hot). I prefer it with olive oil rather than canola. I think the trick is to put the hot green beans directly into the dressing to absorb flavor as much as possible. For me, the flavor didn’t really penetrate the green beans until the next day- leftovers were great! I also tossed it with roast sweet potato and hard-boiled egg and put it in a salad to make it a meal - yumm!

Kristen8 months ago

Mustard was strong, but I still liked it. Next time will cut mustard to 1 Tbsp. I used crumbled bacon instead of pecans for the topping because my kids are allergic.

Liza8 months ago

This made tasty, low pressure thanksgiving side to pack — ready with no need to fuss with dressing, reheating or finishing in the host’s kitchen. The mustard (Colmans) did clear the sinuses at first, but had mellowed by the time it reached the table. Next time I’ll go full mustard.

Babette1 year ago

This recipe, pretty much as written, is seriously delicious, and *not too hot.* Our experience with hot mustard powder is that the sharpness really does mellow if given a little bit of time to rest after mixing with the water. We allow the mustard-water mixture to sit for about 15 minutes while we prepare the rest of the dressing ingredients and then add them in and then let that rest briefly while dealing with the beans.

vgaydosk211 year ago

I agree--the mustard was strong (and I used just the Colman's).

Jan Trembley1 year ago

First of all, the green beans should roasted after being tossed with spices. Why spoil traditional items? Substitute a sprinkle of Asian chili oil for the mustard powder and sesame seeds for the pecans. Use olive oil.

Wiener Würstel1 year ago

We combined this recipe with the "Sheet-Pan Miso-Honey Chicken" by Yossy Arefi. Et voilà! Winner, winner chicken dinner! Delicious, and for our taste not too spicy (used Colman's dry mustard powder). Definitely making this again.