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!
Hi there
Is this good for preserving? Etc
Hi Jill, this recipe hasn’t been tested for canning and so I can’t recommend it for that purpose.
Great recipe, very fragrant and authentic. Used as a base for yummy Chicken Chow Mein in Black Bean sauce tonight, but I’m sure to find lots of other uses for it as well, even if just a dollop of it for extra flavour in non-black bean dishes. Thank you for sharing :)
Thank you, Tessie, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Where do you get fermented black soy beans from other than china?
Hi Tony, I’ve only seen them from China.
Amazon carries them, of course!
Are you in the UK Tony? I got mine online, have just seen the same one on Ebay, look for Mee Chun, they are in England, and the beans are lovely.
Local chinese grocer has them.
In a supermarket called Longdan. One has just opened in Crawley West Sussex. £ 1.90 for 250g
I was surprised that I had all ingredients in my pantry and was able to follow the instructions. It tasted great and I added the zest which made the recipe popped. Thank you for such a easy recipe. I will add this more often to my diet regimen..
Thanks from California
I’m so glad, Kimberly, thank you!
Can I substitue red miso for the fermented black beans? if so, what would be the ratio? Looking forward to trying this after reading all the reviews!
Hi Shona, I haven’t tried that but that’s a good idea and it may make a pretty good substitute. I would probably aim for 2 tablespoons. Let us know what you think you think of it using the red miso!
Can i use fermented yellow soya beans, instead of yhe black.
Hi Conrad, I’m not familiar with fermented yellow soybeans. Are you referring to yellow soybean paste, like miso? You can certainly experiment with that. It won’t give you the same flavor outcome as the fermented black beans but and will have a runnier texture, but I’m sure it will taste good.
This is fantastic!! I think packaged in smallish glass jars they’d be great for gift giving as well.
Can I use a can of black beans? Also how much of this do you add to a dish while cooking say 500 gms of meat?
Hi Anne, black beans aren’t remotely the same thing and will not work as a substitute. The beans used in this sauce are fermented soybeans and they are what give the sauce its distinctive flavor. How much black bean sauce to add to a dish is purely a matter of personal preference. I’d start with less (stir in a couple of tablespoons), taste it, and you can always add more. Happy cooking!
I wonder if this would last longer in the fridge with powdered garlic and ginger. What do you think?
Hi Lynne, maybe a little. There’s the green onions too….
Is this the same black bean paste used for korean jajangmyeon? I’ve been looking for a way to make it from scratch. I haven’t found a store bought one without all the added preservatives and Carmel color dyes.
Hi Amber, Korean black bean sauce and Chinese black bean sauce 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. All that is to say that you can definitely use this for jajangmyeon and it will probably taste all the better for it!
I love black bean sauce, but have found the last 2 years the store stuff is soo grossly salty. So glad to have a recipe.
I’ve made this today for the first time and I am amazed at how easy it was and how fabulous it tastes. I added a bit more sugar as it was slightly too salty and it ended up perfect 👌🏻!
Going to try it with beef and green pepper later…I’ve tried the velvet method for the beef as well!
Thanks so much, Deb, I’m happy you enjoyed it!
Ive always got some of this in the fridge. Brilliant recipe, thanks so much.
Fantastic, Keith, thank you very much!
While the sauce was tasty it was not salty enough. Either I won’t soak the beans as long or will add more soy sauce to the recipe. My chicken broth was sodium free, as well.
I’ve found black bean garlic sauce online but not any without garlic in the name. Could this be the same thing?
Hi Jim, yes that is basically a simplified store-bought version of this.
Can I use normal beans instead of fermented. Would taste be compromised?
No, they’re not remotely the same thing and have an entirely different flavor.
Can I freeze the sauce for later use?? Love your recipes🙏💝
Hi Super D, yes you can but omit the cornstarch as it doesn’t freeze well and tends to break down. If you need the sauce to be thicker when you’re ready to use it, you can reheat it and add the cornstarch at that point.