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Black bean sauce served with rice and vegetables
Savoury fermented black bean sauce coating stir-fried ingredients

Chinese black bean sauce

Author: Flavelo
Recipes Main Courses Sauces and Gravies
Fermented black beans (douchi) are one of the oldest flavourings in Chinese cuisine. The beans themselves are very salty and intense, so we never use them alone. In this sauce, we dissolve and soften this power. This is the basis of the classic 'brown sauce' tasted in Chinese takeaways: salty, earthy, and uniquely rich in umami.
🕒 Prep Time 15 mins
🍳 Cook Time 10 mins
⌛ Total Time 25 mins
🍽️ Servings 4 servings
🔥 Calories 130 kcal
🌍 Cuisine Chinese

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

  • Wok or frying pan: For frying.
  • Small bowl: For mixing the cornflour.

Allergen Information

⚠️ Soya
⚠️ Sesame
⚠️ Cereals containing gluten

Instructions

1 ✓

Place the black beans in a sieve and rinse thoroughly with cold water to remove excess salt. Then crush slightly with the back of a spoon or a knife.

Tip: No need to puree, just break the beans to release their flavour.
2 ✓

Finely chop the garlic and ginger.

Tip: Prep all ingredients, because things happen fast in a wok.
3 ✓

Heat the sesame oil in the pan and fry the garlic, ginger, and black beans for 1 minute.

Tip: The aroma becomes intense at this point.
4 ✓

Pour in the 150 ml water, soy sauce, and vinegar. Add the sugar and chilli flakes. Bring to a boil.

Tip: Taste it: if too salty, add a little more water and sugar.
5 ✓

Mix the cornflour with the 1 tablespoon of cold water in a small glass until lump-free.

Tip: This is the 'slurry'.
6 ✓

Drizzle the cornflour water into the boiling sauce while stirring continuously. Cook for another 1 minute until it thickens and becomes glossy.

Tip: Cornflour needs boiling to activate and avoid a floury taste.

Recipe FAQ

It became very salty.
You didn't rinse the black beans enough. Next time soak them in water for a few minutes before use.
The thickening became lumpy.
Always mix cornflour with cold water completely before adding to hot sauce, and stir immediately in the sauce too.

Ingredients

  • 50 g Fermented black beans (canned or bagged)
  • 2 cloves Garlic
  • 10 g Fresh ginger
  • 10 ml Sesame oil
  • 50 ml Soy sauce
  • 150 ml Water (for sauce)
  • 10 g Brown sugar
  • 10 ml Rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp Cornflour
  • 1 tbsp Water (for cornflour)
  • 1 tsp Chilli flakes