Chinese Black Bean Sauce Recipes

Steps:

• Rinse black beans thoroughly and dry. Remove about 1/4 cup and set aside. Roughly chop the rest of the beans.
• Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add chiles, shallot, ginger, and garlic. Fry until soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Do not let the ingredients burn. Reduce the heat if necessary. The objective is to slow cook the ingredients. Add all the beans; both chopped and whole. Simmer, stirring often, until the beans are soft, about 2 minutes. Add tamari, rice wine, brown sugar, ground Sichuan pepper, and five spice. Simmer until thickened, stirring often. Remove from heat; let cool, about 10 minutes.
• Mix in sesame oil and cover. As the sauce rests, the beans will settle and the oil will float, creating a barrier which will protect it from mold. The sauce is ready to use or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Steps:

• Remove the head from the fish (or have your fishmonger do this) and cut the fish into 2-inch thick steaks. Put the rice flour on a plate and season it well with salt and pepper; dredge the fish pieces in the rice flour, shaking off any excess.
• In a deep pot or a wok large enough to hold the fish, heat the vegetable oil to 350 degrees F. Carefully put in the fish and deep-fry until it is browned, crisp, and cooked through, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the fish pieces and drain them on paper towels; place them onto a platter.
• Carefully drain all but 3 tablespoons of oil from the wok. Stir-fry the scallions, ginger, garlic, and chiles for about 2 minutes. Add the black beans and fry for another minute. Pour in the chicken stock, bring to a boil, and simmer until the sauce begins to thicken, about 10 minutes. In a small bowl mix the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water making sure to get out all the lumps. Pour this slurry into the black bean mixture (it will thicken immediately) and cook for another 2 minutes. Pour the sauce over the fish pieces, garnish with cilantro leaves, and serve.

Steps:

• Rinse and debeard the mussels.
• Prepare the ingredients and organize your mise en place. For this dish, you need to have everything ready to go before you start to cook.
• Place the aromatics (dried chiles, scallions, ginger, Chinese black beans, garlic and chile bean paste) in a small bowl. Reserve.
• Combine the chicken stock and cornstarch in a small bowl; stir to incorporate.
• Preheat a large wok fitted with a domed lid over high heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat. Add the bowl of aromatics and cook for 30 seconds, tossing with a wooden spoon or spatula. Then add the sugar, mussels, sake and carrot ribbons, and shake the wok or toss to coat. Cover and cook for 1 minute.
• Stir the cornstarch-chicken stock mixture again, add to the wok, then cover and cook for 3 minutes, shaking the wok or tossing every minute.
• Remove the lid. Arrange any mussels that are cooked and open in serving bowls.[Cover and continue to cook any remaining mussels for another minute. Transfer open mussels to serving bowls; discard any that do not open. Pour the sauce over the mussels and serve.

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat the sherry, vinegar, lime juice. Add the garlic and ginger, and cook over medium high heat for 1 minute. Stir in the fish sauce, sugar, chili sauce, black beans, and vegetable broth.
• Bring the sauce to a boil: reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Whisk in the dissolved cornstarch, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens slightly.
• This can be made ahead and refirgerated for up to 1 week. Enjoy!

Steps:

• Prepare the asparagus by washing, breaking the stem at the "natural" break point and slice diagonally into 1/2 to 1 inch pieces.
• (OPTIONAL: Steam the asparagus pieces for 3-4 minutes.) Put aside.
• Combine the marinade ingredients in a small bowl (soy sauce, ginger, sherry and cornstarch) then add the sliced meat. Mix well and let sit for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally if you wish.
• Head a wok or large frying pan, add the oil. When it is is just beginning to smoke, add the meat, laying each piece on one side in the pan, Do not turn but cook over high heat for a moment, until the one side begins to brown. Toss-stir the meat for a moment and remove from the pan, allowing the oil to drain back into the pan. You may want to do this in two batches to keep the meat sizzling.
• Heat the pan to hot again and add the garlic. Stir-fry for a minute then add the rinsed, chopped black beans and stirfry another bit. Add the asparagus, toss with the vegetables then add the other T of soy sauce and the pinches of sugar and salt. Stirfy until the asparagus is done to your liking (probably about 5 minutes if you didn't steam it first; less if you did).
• Add the meat and its drippings and the chicken broth. Stir to make a sauce, then serve.