Black Bean Sauce

The other day I was tidying up my pantry and taking stock of what was there when I came across some fermented black beans. The fermented black beans are salted and fermented soybeans that are commonly used in Chinese cuisine and I had picked them up a while ago to make a number of dishes including a mapo tofu. Upon seeing them, I was reminded that just the other day I had been thinking about doing a dish with a black bean paste and I immediately thought, I wonder if I could make my own black bean paste with these? As it turns out, it is pretty easy to make your own black bean paste at home! The black bean paste consists primarily of the black beans and garlic. The fermented black beans are all dried out and hard so you simmer them in some chicken (or vegetable) broth to soften them up and then you season them with soy sauce and sugar. Finally you thicken everything up with cornstarch until it forms a paste. Of course, the first thing that I did was whip out the jar of my favourite brand of black bean paste to do a side by side comparison and I have to say that I will be making my own black bean paste from now on!

Black Bean Sauce

(makes 1/4 cup)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoons fermented black beans
1 tablespoon garlic (chopped)
1/2 cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1 tablespoon water
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high.
2. Add the fermented black beans and garlic and saute until fragrant, about 20-30 seconds.
3. Add the broth and simmer to reduce to half, about 2-4 minutes.
4. Mix the water and cornstarch and then mix it into the sauce along with the soy sauce and sugar and cook until it thickens, about a minute.

Use in:
Mapo Tofu
Brussels Sprouts in Black Bean Sauce
Steak and Peppers in Black Bean Sauce
Zha Jiang Mian on Spaghetti

Similar Recipes:
Sweet Chilli Sauce