How to Make Black Bean Sauce

Co-authored by Jessica Gibson

Last Updated: October 2, 2020 References Tested

If you love to recreate Chinese dishes at home, you've probably reached for a jar of black bean sauce. Fortunately, it's easy to make this condiment at home and customize it according to your taste. Black bean sauce uses fermented dried black beans, which give the sauce a sharp, spicy, and slightly sweet taste, along with aromatic ingredients like garlic and ginger. Mix up a batch and use it as a marinade, dipping sauce, or base for stir-fries.

Ingredients

1 cup (227 g) of dried fermented black beans
¹⁄₃ cup (79 ml) of vegetable oil
1/4 white onion, minced
4 to 6 dried chili peppers, roughly chopped
¹⁄₄ cup (59 ml) of Shaoxing wine, dry sherry, or Japanese sake
¹⁄₄ cup (59 ml) of soy or tamari sauce
1/4 cup (50 g) of granulated or brown sugar
8 to 10 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1 inch (2.5 cm) of peeled fresh ginger, minced 4
1/2 teaspoon (1 g) of orange zest, optional
2 teaspoons (6 g) of whole Sichuan peppercorns, optional

Makes about 2 cups (470 ml) of sauce

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Cooking Black Bean Sauce

1
Soak 1 C (227 g) of dried fermented black beans in water for 10 minutes. Open a package of dried fermented black beans and pour 1 cup (227 g) of them into a bowl. Add enough water to submerge the beans and set them aside for 10 minutes to soak. Soaking the beans makes them easier to chop and it rinses off some of the beans' salt.^{[1]
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- You can buy dried fermented black beans at your neighborhood Asian market or online. Fermenting the beans gives them their unique flavor that's full of umami. Fermented black beans are also saltier than standard dried black beans.
2
Drain the beans and roughly chop them on a cutting board. Set a fine-mesh strainer or colander into the sink and pour the soaked beans into it. Then, put the beans onto a cutting board and chop them until they're slightly chunky. If you'd like a smoother sauce, keep chopping until the beans are finely chopped. Set the beans aside.^{[2]
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- To save a little time, you can put the beans into a food processor along with 1/4 of an onion and 8 to 10 cloves of peeled garlic. Then, pulse the ingredients until they're roughly chopped.
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3
Infuse oil with dried chili peppers over medium heat. Set a heavy saucepan on the stove and pour in ¹⁄₃ cup (79 ml) of vegetable oil. Add 4 to 6 roughly chopped dried chili peppers and turn the burner to medium. Once the oil shimmers, turn the burner down to medium-low and heat the chilies until they darken. Then, carefully scoop out the chilies with a slotted spoon and throw them away.^{[3]
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- Use Korean or Mexican dried chili peppers to give the sauce mild flavor or cook Chinese or Thai chili peppers if you'd like the sauce to be spicy.
- For really spicy black bean sauce, add 2 teaspoons (6 g) of whole Sichuan peppercorns along with the dried chilies.
4
Mince 1/4 of an onion and add it to the skillet along with the beans. Cut a 1/4 of an onion into fine pieces and put it into the hot oil in the saucepan. Then, add the drained black beans and stir the mixture.^{[4]
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- If you chopped the beans with the onion and garlic in a food processor, just add all of them to the oil at this point.
5
Cook the black bean sauce over medium heat. Turn the burner up to medium and stir the beans in the aromatic oil constantly. Cook the beans until they're fragrant and they start to sizzle.^{[5]
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- The oil may splatter a little, so you may want to wear oven mitts while you stir the beans.
6
Add wine, soy sauce, sugar, and simmer the sauce for 10 minutes. Stir in ¹⁄₄ cup (59 ml) of Shaoxing wine, ¹⁄₄ cup (59 ml) of soy or tamari sauce, and 1/4 cup (50 g) of granulated or brown sugar. Then, cook the gently bubbling sauce over medium-low heat until the onion softens. Stir the sauce constantly to prevent it from burning.^{[6]
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- If you can't find Shaoxing wine, use the same amount of dry sherry or Japanese sake. You could even substitute chicken broth, but the black bean sauce won't keep as long in the fridge.
- For a slight citrus flavor, add 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) of orange zest to the sauce.
7
Stir in garlic and ginger, and cook the sauce until it's fragrant. Add 8 to 10 cloves of minced garlic to the saucepan along with 1 inch (2.5 cm) of minced fresh ginger. Keep stirring the sauce and cook it over medium heat so the garlic and ginger soften.^{[7]
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- If you don't like the flavor of ginger or garlic, feel free to leave them out of the sauce.
8
Transfer the sauce to a storage container to cool before you use it. Turn off the burner and spoon the black bean sauce into a glass storage container or bowl. Leave it to cool completely before you cook with the sauce or store it for later.^{[8]
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- Put a lid or plastic wrap over the container and store the sauce in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using Black Bean Sauce

1
Add 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of black bean sauce to your next stir fry. Take your veggie or beef stir fry to the next level by stirring some black bean sauce into the dish during the last 30 seconds of cooking. Plan to use 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of black bean sauce for every 1 pound (450 g) of vegetables and meat. To get you started, try 1 of these great stir fry combinations:^{[9]
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- Green beans with black bean sauce
- Beef and broccoli with black bean sauce
- Chicken and cabbage with black bean sauce
2
Marinate meat in black bean sauce before you toss it on the grill. Whisk together a flavorful marinade by mixing 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of your black bean sauce with 2 tablespoons of minced ginger, 2 teaspoons (9.9 ml) of sesame oil, and a pinch of ground pepper. Then, coat 2 to 3 pounds (0.91 to 1.36 kg) of meat with the marinade and chill it in an airtight container for 2 hours. You can grill the meat or roast it in the oven.^{[10]
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- Marinade pork tenderloin or chicken thighs for instance.
3
Serve the black bean sauce as a dipping sauce for meat or vegetables. Set out a bowl of black bean sauce the next time you serve poached chicken or fish and let your guests help themselves. Black bean sauce also tastes great with steamed vegetables like green beans, snap peas, or broccoli.^{[11]
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- Dip shrimp or prawns in the black bean sauce instead of marinara for your next appetizer.
4
Toss a few spoonfuls of sauce with Chinese noodles. Boil Chinese egg noodles until they're tender and drain them. Then, toss the noodles with chopped vegetables, cooked protein, and enough black bean sauce to coat them. To add a little crunch to your black bean noodles, top them with a handful of bean sprouts.^{[12]
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- Spoon some black bean sauce over steamed rice if you're not serving a meal with noodles.
5
Drizzle black bean sauce over steamed fish with rice. A good meal doesn't need to be complicated, especially if you're using black bean sauce that's packed full of flavor. Steam a whole fish like sea bass or trout until it's tender and cooked throughout. Then, serve the fish on a bed of cooked rice and spoon black bean sauce on top.^{[13]
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- Fresh herbs or green onions make a great garnish for this dish.