We only need 4 tablespoons of fermented black beans to make a cup of black bean sauce (which should serve about 4 people), so I’d advise going with the smaller packet, unless you’re looking to make a LOT of black bean sauce.
- The red pack (<–affiliate link) shown below is a 100g pack. I use about a third of this packet to make a jar of black bean sauce.
- The white pack (<–affiliate link) is 500g! I bought a large pack because I knew I would be doing a lot of testing.
Fortunately they last for years. An opened package should be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Happily they should last a year there.
See how to do it
Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- First we soak the fermented black beans in cold water for about an hour. After this time, drain and rinse the beans. The beans are very salty, be sure to rinse well.
- Flatten the beans a bit with the back of a fork. Leave about a quarter of the beans whole, the rest can be smashed into a lumpy paste.
- Fry the garlic and ginger in oil with the black beans. Then add the rice wine, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, pepper, and broth.
- Cook over low heat for about 5 minutes. Thicken the sauce with a little cornmeal, then turn off the heat and it’s ready to go.
PRO TIP The sauce will be salty, but once you’ve fried it with meat and vegetables, it will have a perfectly balanced flavor. You can use reduced sodium broth if you are concerned that it will be too salty for your liking.
