Pungent, aromatic, earthy and salty, fermented black beans provide unique and complex flavours to many Chinese dishes.
Fermented black beans, known as Dou Chi (豆豉) in Chinese, are a very popular flavouring in Chinese cuisine. They are black soybeans preserved by being fermented with salt and spices.
Pungent, aromatic, earthy, salty, bitter and sweet, they have a quite unique and complex flavour. There isn’t any other ingredients that can be used as a substitute.
Where to buy
You can find fermented black beans in most Chinese/Asian stores. I recommend the dry version (left in the image above) which has a pronounced, complex flavour. Yang Jiang preserved beans with ginger (Yang Jiang Jiang Chi/阳江姜豉) is a reputable variety.
Another variety is often named as salted black beans (right in the image above). The beans are soaked in salty and sweet liquid and they have a saltier taste and firmer texture than the dried version. I personally don’t find this version appealing.
How to use
Directly used in a dish
You need to rinse fermented black beans thoroughly under running water, then dry them before cutting them coarsely (you may use whole beans, but cutting helps to release the flavour).
They are used to season all kinds of ingredients, such as vegetables, tofu, eggs, beef, pork, chicken, fish and seafood, noodles, etc. The cooking methods include stir frying, steaming and braising.
Here are some classic examples:
- Mapo Tofu (麻婆豆腐)
- Twice-cooked Pork Belly (回锅肉)
- Hunan Pork Stir-fry (湖南小炒肉)
- Egg and Chilli Stir-fry (剁椒鸡蛋)
- Dim Sum Style Chicken Feet (豉汁凤爪)
Made into a sauce
Fermented black beans can be also used to make black bean sauce (or paste), a versatile sauce often paired with garlic.
Ready-to-use black bean sauce is widely available in Asian/Chinese shops, as well as mainstream supermarkets which have a Asian/Chinese food section.
Making you own black bean sauce is easy. My post Homemade spicy black beans sauce shows you how to make it into three versions (classic, with meaty or mushroom). Using this sauce, you can make delicious Braised pork ribs.
I’ve bought Yang Jiang preserved beans with ginger, and they’re great, but the packet says the beans should be used within just a couple of weeks after opening. The packet is quite big, and there is no way I can get through them within a couple of weeks – is there a way to preserve them for use after this point?
I always keep them in the fridge for quite a while (2-3 months) and I’ve never found any going off. To be on the safe side though, I’d suggest you divide them into small portions and freeze them.
The Yang Jiang brand you have mentioned is not available where I am (in India). While looking around on Amazon (India), I noticed another product “Fengling Preserved Dried Salted Black Beans”. Is this a good brand I can buy?
I’ve never used it myself but it looks like the correct type.
I have several recipes I want to try that call for black bean sauce, but I am allergic to soy (sauce, beans, etc.). Is there some way to sub regular lblack beans in these recipes?
Thank you.
Regular black beans can’t be used as a substitutes since they’re not fermented. Authentic Sichuan chili bean sauce (辣豆瓣酱) which is made of broad beans would work (but it’s spicy). You always need to read the label carefully as some products sold as Sichuan chili bean sauce contain both soybeans and broad beans. Hope this helps.
Can the homemade black bean sauce be kept frozen for latter use. Love your site . David
Yes David. You can store your sauce in the freezer.