In the past I've bought "Sezchuan Preserved Vegetable" in packets, already chopped. This time I bought a can (it was $0.99), which contained exactly one "vegetable", which I have to admit looked more like something Mulder and Scully would dig up than any kind of foodstuff. Tell me I'm wrong:

Anyway, FWIW, Kenji's "easy dry-fried long beans" turned out great. Even with the chopped alien.