cornflourcornstarch slurry – made of 1 tablespoon cornflour, mixed with 3 tablespoons cold water
Instructions
Start by soaking the fermented black beans. Place in a bowl and cover with cold water. Leave to soak for one hour, then rinse and drain.
4 tbsp fermented black beans
Once drained, give the black beans a bit of a mash with the back of a fork. I like to mash up about three-quarters and leave the rest whole.
Add the sesame and rapeseed oil to a small saucepan. Heat over a medium heat.
1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
Add the garlic, ginger, and black beans and fry for one minute, stirring often, until fragrant.
3 cloves minced garlic, 1 tbsp minced ginger
Add the rice wine, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, pepper, and stock.
2 tbsp Shaoxing Chinese rice wine, 2 tbsp dark soy sauce, 1 tsp rice vinegar, 2 tsp granulated or caster sugar, ½ tsp ground black pepper, 180 ml (3/4 cup) chicken or vegetable stock
Stir together, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes, until slightly reduced.
Stir in the cornflour slurry to thicken the sauce, then turn off the heat.
cornflour
Use right away, or cool, cover and refrigerate for up to two weeks.
Video
Notes
Makes around 250ml (a little over a cup) of black bean sauce, then can be used a complete stir-fry sauce. This should serve 4-6 people.Nutritional information is approximate, per serving, based on this recipe making 4 servings.