Black Bean Sauce
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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! And best of all, this homemade black bean sauce is super easy and quick to make!
Why I Love This Black Bean Sauce
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). As with all things homemade, this DIY black bean sauce tastes even better than store-bought stuff AND you know exactly what’s in it…and what isn’t. And with this incredible flavor-boosting condiment on hand, you now hold the secret to making some of the best Chinese food on the planet!
What is Black Bean Sauce?
Chinese black bean sauce, also known as Chinese black bean paste, is a savory and pungent condiment made from fermented black beans, also known as douchi. Black bean sauce is a staple ingredient in Cantonese and Sichuan cuisine and is used in a wide variety of dishes, including stir-fries, braises, and marinades.
Black Bean Sauce Ingredients
This DIY black bean sauce uses just a handful of ingredients but they’re all key in delivering flavor and balance. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Fermented black beans: This is where the real magic happens with their incredibly deep, umami-rich flavor.
- Garlic: This deliver pungency, umami, subtle sweetness and tremendous depth.
- Ginger: With its spicy flavor and invigorating fragrance, it contributes a warming kick.
- Green onions: These add a mild onion flavor.
- Chinese rice wine: Very fragrant with a slightly sweet and briny flavor.
- Soy sauce: This provides the needed salt along with a bold umami flavor.
- Rice Vinegar: Less acidic than white vinegar, it’s adds a delicate and somewhat sweet flavor along with its balancing tang.
- Hot pepper sauce: For some contrasting kick to tie it all together.
What Are Fermented Black Beans?
Let’s talk about the central ingredient in black beans sauce: Fermented black beans. No, they’re not your typical black beans, aka turtle beans, that you find in dishes like Black Beans and Rice or in South American cuisine. Fermented 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. Because of their strong flavor, fermented black beans are frequently paired with other strong flavors like, most commonly garlic and also chilies for heat. You can find fermented black beans in well-stocked Asian grocery stores or you can buy them online. They usually 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.
Black Bean Sauce Recipe
Let’s get started!
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 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.
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. Sharp, pungent, salty and spicy with a hint of sweet, it contributes flavor Chinese food like nothing else. And it’s potent, so a little goes a long way. For a flavor boost try adding a little to your favorite Chinese dishes like Chinese Beef and Broccoli, Mongolian Beef, Mongolian Chicken, Kung Pao Chicken, and Shanghai Noodles. Some other great ways to use it include:
- Stir-fries, fried rice, noodles, and tofu
- Eggs and omelettes (including Egg Foo Young)
- Chinese long beans or green beans
- Chicken, pork, beef, fish and seafood
- Asian eggplant dishes
- Steamed vegetables such as bok choy or broccoli
- Asian wraps (check out my Thai Lettuce Wraps)
- Grain salads like my Asian Wheat Berry Salad
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.
For more delicious homemade Asian condiments be sure to try my:
- Teriyaki Sauce
- Sweet and Sour Sauce
- Yum Yum Sauce
- Hoisin Sauce
- Eel Sauce
- Plum Sauce
- Kecap Manis
- Sweet Chili Sauce
- Ponzu Sauce
- Chili Oil
- Char Siu Sauce
- Ginger Sauce
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Black Bean Sauce
Ingredients
- 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
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet March 4, 2016
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
Way too much ginger. Over powered everything else. Perhaps it should have been two teaspoons.
Oh my gosh. You have just opened a world of culinary possibilities. Thank you so much for sharing this.
Can I use this sauce for zha Jiang Mian?
Hi Soonah, yes you can!
Could I freeze this in ice cube trays?
Hi Susan, yes you can. Cornstarch doesn’t hold up well in the freezer so it will lose its thickening power, so I would just omit it. If you need to have it thickened you can always do that after the fact (reheat the sauce and add the cornstarch), but if you’re just adding a cube or two to a dish for flavor, chances are you don’t really need it thickened anyway. Happy cooking!
Thank you. That is very helpful!
I would like to try this recipe and need to know if I can omit the oil. I am on a low fat diet, which so far is working, and I don’t want the fat calories. Suggestions
Hi Teri, you can probably just saute the ginger, garlic, etc, in a little water instead of the oil and then proceed with the recipe as written.
Thank you for the quick reply! Appreciated…
I have made this recipe several times and love it. Most recently I added pineapple and honey and used it on rice noodles and it was amazing!
I’m happy you like it, Amiti, and appreciate the feedback, thank you!
Let me add my kudos! Such an easy and savory sauce – thanks for the recipe. And, it is pretty forgiving with small switch-outs and add-ins. The only thing is a bit too salty, so I added a bit more sugar.
Thank you for this “pantry staple”! I followed recipe exactly, except I doubled it and used half shallot and half green onion (wanted to try get essence of recipe flavor, but only had one green onion). Also, I didn’t add any pepper (I make my own chili oil, so can add that for me and keep it mild for kids). It is delicious. Just fried up some shimenji mushrooms and some fresh garden greens. So yummy. Next time, I will use all shallots because I think it will extend shelf life, but I doubt it will last that long anyhow! Wonderful work you do. Mahalo!
Fantastic, Jo, I’m so glad you enjoyed it and appreciate the feedback, thank you!
Is this the same thing as the store-bought chunjang or jjajang that is used for jjajangmeon? I always assumed that chunjang was made in a similar (fermented) fashion as miso but this looks to be a kind of cooked sauce with lots of flavorful ingredients, rather than a fermented paste. The ingredients on the jjajang container are: water, caramel, wheat, soybeans, salt, and ethanol. I’m trying to find a jjajang recipe, is this the same thing?
Hi Amy, they are similar in that they’re both made with fermented soybeans, but Korean black bean paste is considerably saltier and many people agree that it doesn’t have the same depth of flavor or complexity as Chinese black bean paste. My understanding is that neither of them are “fermented” sauces like miso, rather they are made WITH fermented ingredients (i.e., fermented soybeans).
Thank you so much Kimberly! I’m going to give this recipe a try, and also try to figure out the chunjang recipe by trial and error. I have already ordered some fermented black beans!
I made this sauce today, so easy and so so tasty!
Definitely making this again.
🙏
Thanks so much, Sylvia, I’m happy you enjoyed it!
Decided I need to learn how to cook at the age of 60, yes I can do simple stuff, beans on toast etc. So I love oriental food, thought I would try this to go with Stir Fry beef/Chicken etc, a big step for me, had to trek the oriental supermarkets for some stuff, especially the fermented bean.
Took me ages to make it, and then a stir fry with it, I have learnt so much making this sauce, and it tastes fantastic, it has inspired me to try so many different recipes, glad I found this on your website.
That’s truly fantastic that you decided to tackle something like this during your “early learning” stages of cooking, Mark. Congratulations, I’m so happy you enjoyed it, and keep up that adventurous spirit!
Thank you so very much for this excellent recipe! I have celiac and I always look for recipes to recreate sauces for Chinese and Korean cooking. This was great! I did find some fermented black beans on Amazon (Hoosier Hills) and they said that while the beans are not fermented with wheat flour (as is usual for Chinese fermentation) they are in a facility that has wheat products. I had no problem with them. I will be trying to can this recipe and will update you if successful.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Carole, thank you!
This is hands down the Best Chinese black bean sauce recipe. So easy and tasty. We bought a jar of dried fermented black beans specifically to make this sauce for stir fry and other Chinese dishes. Adds a depth of flavor that really is just so delicious. Use recipe exactly, no tweaks needed.
Thanks so much, CJ, I’m thrilled you enjoyed it!
Thank you for the recipe. Is this the same as the black bean sauce that is used in Mapo Tofu (doubanjiang) or can it be used as a substitute? Thanks!
Hi Kerrie, map tofu typically uses a spicy chili-based bean sauce but you can certainly still use this black bean sauce as a substitute and then add some extra heat in, like hot sauce, if you like.
I just made it, but I mixed with unsalted black bean from western supermarket, of course not black soybean. I sautéed a can of black bean add 2 tbsp of pork lard and 1 tbsp minced garlic, stir it until becomes paste add 1 tbsp Chinese fermented blackbean, stir until mix well add 2 tsp of sugar and 2 tbsp rose wine. I use for seasoning boiled egg noodle or chunjang noodle in Chinese style. Love it very much. I’ve tried to use Korean style black bean paste for chunjang noodle but not as good mine. Thanks for inspiration.