BEST Chinese Black Bean Sauce

This authentic black bean sauce recipe holds the grand secret to making some of the best Chinese food on the planet!  It will work absolute flavor miracles for your Chinese dishes and most anything you simply want to boost with some flavor and umami!

For those of you who know what Chinese black bean sauce is, you already know the wonders it does for your Asian-inspired dishes.  You’ll also be happy to know how incredibly quick and easy it is to make yourself (all of 15 minutes).  PLUS, it tastes even better than store-bought stuff AND you know exactly what’s in it…and what isn’t!

For those of you who have no idea what this stuff is, you’ve now discovered a grand secret to making some of the best Chinese food on the planet!

What is Black Bean Sauce?

Let’s begin with the central ingredient:  Fermented black beans.  No, they’re not your typical black beans, aka turtle beans, that you find in dishes like Black Beans & Rice or in South American cuisine.  (Yes, I have seen several well-intentioned recipes online calling for regular black beans.)  No, these black beans are actually black soybeans.  These fermented black soybeans, called douchi in Chinese, are created through a process of boiling the beans, then inoculating them with a special mold spore (commonly aspergillus oryzae) as they dry in the sun.  Then they’re typically either stored dry or in brine.  This same mold variety is used in miso and soy sauce which are also both fermented products.

You can find fermented black beans in well-stocked Asian grocery stores or you can buy them online.

Because of their strong flavor, fermented black beans are frequently paired with other strong flavors like, most commonly garlic and also chilies for heat.  Fermented black beans are most widely used to make Chinese Black Bean Sauce, also referred to as Black Bean Paste and Black Bean & Garlic Sauce.  Black bean sauce is an important and popular ingredient in Chinese cuisine, particularly Cantonese and Sichuan cooking.  It’s as common as an everyday condiment as ketchup is here.

Sharp, pungent, salty and spicy with a hint of sweet, black bean sauce contributes a flavor to Chinese food like no other.  And a little goes a very long way, so use sparingly.

How To Use Black Bean Sauce

Black bean sauce is used any time you want to add a unique and powerful flavor boost to your dishes along with a punch of umami.  Some popular ways of using it include:

• Stir-fries
• Fried rice
• Noodles
• Eggs and omelettes
• Chinese long beans or green beans
• Fish, scallops, clams and shrimp
• Chicken, pork, and beef dishes
• Asian eggplant dishes
• Slathered on pork spareribs and then steamed, grilled or roasted
• Steamed vegetables such as bok choy or broccoli
• Asian wraps
• Asian-style coleslaw

I especially love including it in the base for most any stir-fry.  Just select your protein, throw in some veggies, and add some black bean sauce with your other sauce ingredients.

How to Store Black Bean Sauce

Store the black bean sauce in an airtight container in the fridge.  Stored in this way this sauce will keep for at least two weeks.  Some separation may occur, just give it a stir before using.

Black Bean Sauce Recipe

Let’s get started!

Making your own Chinese black bean paste takes all of 10 minutes.  As long as you have the fermented black beans, the rest of the ingredients are common staples and easy to find.  You can find fermented black beans online.

They come in a large quantity and at a good price.  They’ll keep for a long time, several months, and you can also freeze them in ziplock bags and they’ll last even longer.

Place the fermented black beans in a small bowl, cover with water and soak for an hour or so.  Then rinse and drain them.

Mash the beans up with a fork and set them aside.

Heat the oil in a small sauce pan over medium-high heat and cook the garlic and ginger for a minute or two until softened and very fragrant.

Add the green onions and cook for another minute.

Add the mashed fermented black beans and cook for another minute.

Add the remaining ingredients, except for the cornstarch, and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until the liquid has been reduced by half.

Stir in the cornstarch mixture and simmer for another minute or until thickened.

Let the Chinese Black Bean Paste / Chinese Black Bean Sauce cool and then store it in the fridge in an airtight container, preferably a glass jar.  Will keep for up to 2 weeks.

Enjoy!

For more delicious homemade Asian condiments be sure to try our:

• Teriyaki Sauce
• Sweet and Sour Sauce
• Yum Yum Sauce
• Hoisin Sauce
• Eel Sauce (Unagi Sauce)
• Plum Sauce 
• Kecap Manis
• Sweet Chili Sauce
• Ponzu Sauce
• Char Siu Sauce
• Ginger Sauce

BEST Chinese Black Bean Sauce

Kimberly Killebrew

With an incredible depth of flavor, this sauce will work magic on any dish you add it to.  You'll never use store-bought again!

Print Recipe

4.91 from 76 votes

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course condiment

Cuisine Chinese

Servings 18 servings

Calories 21 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 3 tablespoons fermented black beans , soaked in water about an hour then rinsed and drained (if you prefer a stronger and saltier flavor, use more beans)
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 tablespoons finely minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons finely minced ginger
• 2 green onions , finely chopped
• 1/2 cup vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine (can substitute dry sherry)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot red pepper sauce or sambal oelek , for heat (optional)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

 

• Mash soaked and drained fermented black beans with a fork and set aside.
• Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a minute or two until softened and very fragrant. Add the green onions and cook for another minute. Add the mashed beans and cook for another minute.
• Add all remaining ingredients, except for the cornstarch mixture, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer uncovered for 10-12 minutes or until the liquid is reduced by half. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and simmer for another minute or until thickened.
• Let the black bean sauce cool and store in an airtight container (preferably glass). Will keep for up to 2 weeks.Makes a little more than a cup.  

Notes

For an additional touch of flavor (depending on what you're using it for) you can also add a 1/2 teaspoon or so of orange zest. Add it along with the broth and then proceed with the simmering.

Nutrition

Serving: 1tablespoon | Calories: 21kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 56mg | Potassium: 7mg | Vitamin A: 25IU | Vitamin C: 0.5mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 0.1mg

Keyword Black Bean Sauce

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Originally published on The Daring Gourmet March 4, 2016