UH-mazing Recipes: Chef Roy Yamaguchi’s momʻs green beans

The holiday season is here, and UH News is asking members of the University of Hawaiʻi ʻohana to share their favorite recipes. The hope is these recipes and the short stories that accompany them will give everyone some ideas for eats throughout the holidays along with some good feelings of the season.

Renowned chef, restaurateur and Culinary Institute of the Pacific at Kapiʻolani Community College Director Chef Roy Yamaguchi shares a dish close to his heart: his mom’s green beans. The Okinawan-style recipe blends familiar ingredients such as bacon, tofu, green beans and miso, creating a flavorful holiday side.

“One of my all-time childhood favorite dishes to make during the holidays is my mother’s green bean dish,” Yamaguchi said.

It is more than a recipe to him—mom’s green beans are a cherished part of Yamaguchi’s upbringing and a treasured memory.

“My mom loved watching me eat, and it made her so happy to see me enjoying this with a bowl of hot rice as I smiled and cleaned the plate,” Yamaguchi said. “You cannot beat a mother’s home cooked meal—it is priceless.”

Mom’s green beans

Serves 4 as a side

Ingredients

• 2 strips or 2 ½ oz. bacon, cut into quarter inch strips
• 1 heaping tbsp. onion, small diced
• 4 oz. green beans, tips cut off
• 1 cup uneven crumbled firm tofu
• 1 large egg

Miso mixture

• 1 tsp. white miso
• 1 tsp. mirin (Japanese sweet cooking rice wine)
• 1 ½ tsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. sugar

Garnish

• 1 tsp. toasted white sesame seeds
• 1 tsp. or 2 pinches katsuobushi (bonito flakes)

Preparation

1. To prepare miso mixture, combine miso, soy sauce, sugar and mirin in a bowl. Mix thoroughly and reserve. If you like it on the sweeter side, add a little more sugar to offset the saltiness of the miso and soy sauce.
2. Remove tofu from its packaging and place on a paper towel to absorb liquid.
3. Over low heat, sauté onions and bacon for about one minute or until the onions are slightly translucent, then add the green beans and cook for about 5 minutes. The bacon and onions will get a little crispy.
4. Crumble the tofu on the paper towel by using your fingers to pinch through the tofu. Add the crumbled tofu to the green beans and cook for about 2 minutes to evaporate some of the water content. Stir slightly.
5. Add ¾ of the miso mixture and mix thoroughly. Taste for seasoning. Add the rest of the miso mixture if necessary. Add the egg and stir. Once the egg starts to solidify, place the green bean mixture on a plate.
6. Garnish with sesame seeds and katsuobushi.