Tofu with black bean sauce- classic Chinese stir-fry recipe
Have you ever tried cooking tofu with black bean sauce?
It may sound unusual to anyone who does not cook Asian food often, but it is a classic everyday home dish for the Chinese, especially among the Cantonese.
Black bean sauce is not just raw black beans ground into a sauce. It is a paste or sauce made from fermented black beans. Don't be put off by the word fermentation - it's a process that can develop a lot of flavor. Think of cheese, which is a product of milk fermentation. Fermentation also gives black beans an intense umami flavor that is perfect for cooking Chinese dishes.
Now, let's think of tofu as a blank canvas. It has texture but not much flavor on its own. This makes it the perfect vehicle to absorb any flavor, and of course, the black bean sauce added to it.
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Recipe:
(Please download the recipe and read the full details at )
Ingredients A
500g firm tofu
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium size onion, sliced
1 tsp chili oil (optional)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp grated ginger
2 tbsp fermented black bean sauce
2 stalks of green onions, cut into one-inch sections
Ingredients B
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
2 tbsp water
Ingredients C
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Method:
Pan-fry the tofu
- Drain the excess water from the tofu and place it on a paper towel to absorb the remaining water.
Cut the tofu into approximately 1/4-inch thick pieces.
- Place the tofu on a plate and wait for ten minutes. Remove any water if there is water releasing further from the tofu.
- Add vegetable oil to a pan. Place the tofu single layer in the pan. Over medium-high heat, pan-fry the tofu until it becomes golden brown.
- Once done, remove the tofu from the pan and set it aside.
Prepare the sauce
- Heat the remaining oil in the pan to sauté the sliced onion.
- Once the onion turns slightly brown and aromatic, add the garlic, black bean paste, and seasonings.
- Add the seasonings (Ingredients B) to the pan.
- Then, return the pan-fried tofu slices to the pan and carefully flip them to coat them with the black bean sauce.
- Transfer to the serving plate. Sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds on top to serve.
#blackbeansauce #tofurecipe
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Chinese Black Bean Garlic Sauce
Black Bean Garlic is a classic Cantonese flavor profile, and is famously available in bottled form courtesy Lee Kum Kee. We're not the biggest fans of the bottle though - definitely make this at home if at all possible.
0:00 - Why Homemade Black Bean Garlic Sauce is Better
1:15 - Making the Sauce
2:52 - How to Make Garlic Black Bean Beef
5:35 - How to Store
5:55 - How to Prep as a Dip or Spread
6:53 - Does Lee Kum Kee Make Good Sauces?
BLACK BEAN GARLIC SAUCE
Sourcing notes:
Amazon made a fool out of me - currently their fermented black soybeans are out of stock. Maybe last time I linked this product we gave them the hug of death. Regardless, just in case it's in stock in the future:
And of course, if you're America-based, Weee! is the best choice price-wise and they do carry the fermented black soybeans - the same brand we used in the video:
The aged 'tangerine' peel is available both on Amazon and Weee:
Currently Amazon only has the strips in stock. These can be used in the same way, although it's a little more annoying to scrape off the pith.
Both of these ingredients should be Chinese supermarket available.
Ingredients:
This should make enough for about five stir fries worth.
* Dried 'Tangerine' Peel, Chenpi (陈皮), 3g or about three pieces
* Garlic, one head, ~70g
* Salt, 1 tsp
* Fermented black soybeans, Douchi (豆豉), 2 tbsp, ~15g
* Shallots (干葱), 2, ~130g
* Sugar, 3 tbsp
* Chicken bouillon powder (鸡粉), 1 tsp -or- MSG (味精), 1/2 tsp
* Oyster sauce (蚝油), 2 tbsp
* Soy sauce (生抽), 1 tbsp
Process:
Soak the dried 'tangerine' peel for one hour until soft. Scrape off the bitter white pith (thoroughly!), and finely mince.
Pound together all the ingredients except for the sauces, then once pasty, mix in said sauces.
If using this sauce as a dip or a spread (i.e. not as a base for a stir fry), cook the sauce first. Tablespoon or so of oil, medium flame, cook the sauce until the oil separates, ~2 minutes. Swirl in a tablespoon of liaojiu a.k.a. Shaoxing wine, then add in 1/4 cup of water. Swap the flame to high, reduce until the water is mostly gone, ~8 minutes.
BLACK BEAN GARLIC BEEF
* Beef loin, 200g
* Marinade for the beef: Kansui (枧水) -or- sodium carbonate -or- baking soda, 1/4 tsp; salt, 1/2 tsp; sugar, 1 tsp; cornstarch (生粉), 1 tsp; liaojiu a.k.a. Shaoxing wine (料酒/绍酒), 1 tsp; soy sauce (生抽), 1/2 tsp; dark soy sauce (老抽), 1/2 tsp; black pepper powder, 1/4 tsp; oyster sauce (蚝油), 1 tsp; water, 2 tbsp; oil, ~1 tsp to coat
* Ginger, 1/2 inch, sliced
* Scallions, 3, white and green parts separated, cut into ~2 inch sections
* Green mild chili, half a chili, cut into diamonds (bell pepper is also ok, or just use all red/green)
* Red mild chili, half a chili, cut into diamonds (bell pepper is also ok, or just use all red/green)
* Oil, ~1/3 cup, for frying (you could also get away with ~1/4 cup)
* Sauce from above, 2.5 tbsp
* Liaojiu a.k.a. Shaoxing wine, ~1 tbsp. For stir frying
* Dark soy sauce (老抽), ~1/2 tsp. For stir frying
* Slurry of 1 tsp cornstarch (生粉) mixed with an equal amount of water
Thinly slice the beef into ~2mm sheets against the grain. Mix with the marinade and set aside.
In a wok or pot, heat the oil up until bubbles are rapidly forming around a pair of chopsticks, ~180C, and quickly fry the beef over a high flame. ~45 seconds, until 90% cooked. Remove, dipping over a strainer over the aromatics.
Fry the black pepper sauce in ~2 tbsp oil over a medium low flame, and once the oil's separated, up the flame to high. Swirl in the wine. Add the beef and the aromatics, fry over high for ~30 seconds, then mix in the dark soy sauce. Add the slurry. Once thickened, add in the green parts of the scallion.
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Outro Music: คิดถึงคุณจัง by ธานินทร์ อินทรเทพ
Found via My Analog Journal (great channel):
Chicken with black bean sauce - authentic recipe with a punch of umani and aroma
This video explains how to prepare chicken with black bean sauce, a quick and easy Cantonese-style home-cooked recipe.
I will start my preparation by making the sauce from scratch to show you the entire process. The best part of making it is you have complete control of the spiciness and saltiness minus the preservative in the store-bought version.
I suggest making a large batch and portioning it as it is stable in the refrigerator for a few months and longer in the freezer.
Once you get the sauce ready, it just needs to stir-fry to dish out the chicken.
Let’s get into the details.
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Recipe:
(Please download the recipe and read the full details at )
Ingredient A (prepare the black bean sauce)
200g Douchi
5 tbsp oil
2 tbsp minced onion, chopped
2 tbsp minced garlic, minced
2 red chilies, chopped
1/2 tsp cho hou sauce
1.5 tbsp sugar
1.5 tbsp light soy sauce
1.5 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
1/2 piece of chenpi
1/2 cups of water
Ingredients B (stir-fry the chicken)
500g chicken meat (breast or thigh meat, cut into one-inch size)
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tsp cornstarch
3 tbsp of the black bean sauce
1 medium-sized onion, cut into wedges
1 red bell pepper, cut into wedges
1 green bell pepper. cut into wedges
Method
For preparing the black bean sauce:
- Have a quick rinse of the douchi for ten seconds to remove the dirt and sand.
- Drain in a colander, transfer them to a tray, spread them into a single layer, and blow-dry under the fan for one hour.
- Place them in a pan and toast over low heat until they are all dried up. The endpoint is when the douchi is no longer shiny, dull, and light, and aromatic.
- Heat five tablespoons of vegetable oil in the wok. Saute the chopped onion for one minute, followed by the minced garlic for another minute.
- Next, add the chopped chilies when the garlic starts to turn aromatic.
- Season it with cho hou sauce, sugar, light soy sauce, and oyster sauce.
- Return the toasted black beans to the wok. Give it a good mix, then add some Shaoxing wine, chenpi, and just enough water to cover the beans.
- Simmer over medium heat to soften the beans for about five minutes or until the water has evaporated.
For stir-frying chicken
- Cut 500g of chicken breast or chicken thigh into one-inch lengths.
- Marinate the meat with light soy sauce, sesame oil, black pepper, cornstarch, and black bean sauce for half an hour.
- Cut one medium-sized onion, one red bell pepper, and one green bell pepper into wedges, about the same size as the chicken fillet.
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in the wok, stir-fry the onion wedges for two minutes until they start to turn color, then add the bell peppers and stir-fry for another minute. Remove from wok.
- Put the marinated chicken in the wok, stir-fry over medium heat until cooked. Then add the black bean paste. Turn up the heat, and return the vegetables to the wok to have a few quick stirs and flips. Serve.
#BlackBeanSauce #豆豉 #douchi #FermentedBlackBeanSauce #BlackBeanChicken
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