Make Your Own Delicious Chinese Black Bean Sauce!

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Black bean sauce in a glass bowl with a spoon holding some of the black bean sauce; white dish in the background with fermented black beans

I Took The Plunge And Made My Own Black Bean Sauce!

I've always enjoyed black bean sauce dishes when dining at Chinese restaurants. Recently I made my own Chinese black bean sauce and was absolutely delighted at the results! Once you make this sauce you may never buy commercially prepared black bean sauce again! It's completely BURSTING WITH FLAVOR!

Not only is it delicious, but it's SUPER easy! Allow me to show you just how easy it is, so that you can take the plunge too!

What is Black Bean Sauce Made Of?

Black bean sauce is made out of fermented and salted black soybeans. These soybeans are also known as "douchi." Douchi is very salty and has a strong smell. To me, they smell like chocolate!

This incredible sauce is used extensively in Chinese cooking, and dishes containing this sauce are very popular in Chinese restaurants.

My recipe for the sauce includes the following ingredients:

Vegetable oil, light soy sauce, shaoxing rice wine, red chili flakes in a white dish, sugar in a white dish, black soybeans in a glass bowl, garlic cloves, shallot, and ginger
  • Vegetable oil
  • Fermented and salted black soybeans
  • Light soy sauce (can also sub regular soy sauce)
  • Shaoxing rice wine
  • Red chili flakes
  • Sugar
  • Garlic
  • Shallot
  • Ginger

I used Pearl River Bridge Flavor Preserved Beans. You can use these or your fermented black soybeans of choice. Most of these ingredients should be available at your Asian market, and I have also linked to Amazon for convenience sake.

Pearl River Bridge Preserved Beans

It's so hard to believe that just a few ingredients are needed to make this incredible sauce! So let's do this!

How To Make The Most Incredible Homemade Black Bean Sauce!

Did I mention already how SUPER easy it is to make this sauce? 😀

Start by combining rinsed fermented black soybeans, ginger, garlic, and shallot in a food processor.

fermented black soybeans, garlic, shallot, and ginger in a food processor
fermented black soybeans, ginger, garlic, and shallot which has been pulsed together in a food processor

Next heat up some vegetable oil on medium, then add the contents of the food processor and cook for 2 minutes.

fermented black soybeans, ginger, garlic, and shallot frying in oil in a skillet

Then it's time to add the remaining ingredients: red chili flakes, sugar, Shaoxing rice wine, and light soy sauce. Combine and cook on medium low for around 10 minutes.

fermented black soybeans, ginger, garlic, and shallot with added chili flakes, sugar, Shaoxing rice wine and soy sauce

And that is it! Allow to cool, and then store in a glass jar in the fridge.

Black bean sauce in a glass bowl with a spoon holding some of the black bean sauce; white dish in the background with fermented black beans

How To Use This Black Bean Sauce

This sauce is perfect for all your Chinese favorite dishes! It's great as a seasoning to give tremendous flavor to stir fried vegetables as well as fish!

It's perfect to use in this Easy and Mouthwatering Shrimp With Black Bean Sauce Stir Fry!

Shrimp With Black Bean Sauce in a cast iron skillet

You can also use it to make Incredibly Easy and Delicious Mussels With Black Bean Sauce!

Mussels With Black Bean Sauce garnished with green onions and dried Asian chilies, with a spoon holding some of the mussels
#54 Mussels With Black Bean Sauce

As previously mentioned, it is quite salty. So if you are watching your salt you will probably want to use this sparingly.

I do hope you will try making this fantastic and versatile sauce!

Some Other Recipes You May Enjoy!

How To Make Divine Dan Dan Noodles!

Dan dan noodles in a bowl with chopsticks holding up some of the noodles

Delicious and Easy Egg Fried Rice!

Egg fried rice

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Cheers!

Grace

Black bean sauce in a glass bowl with a spoon holding some of the black bean sauce; white dish in the background with fermented black beans

Make Your Own Delicious Chinese Black Bean Sauce!

Grace Make your own Chinese Black Bean Sauce! It's super easy, incredibly delicious, and absolutely MAGICAL in your favorite Chinese dishes! 5 from 1 vote Print Recipe Pin Recipe Prep Time 5 minutes Cook Time 12 minutes Total Time 17 minutes Course Condiment, seasoningCuisine Chinese Servings 1 cupCalories 1094 kcal

Equipment

  • Small skillet
  • Small food processor

Ingredients 1x2x3x

  • 5 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • ½ cup fermented black beans I used Pearl River Bridge
  • 2 tablespoon light soy sauce can also use regular soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine
  • ½ tablespoon red chili flakes can omit or adjust to taste
  • 2 tablespoon sugar
  • 3 tablespoon garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon ginger minced
  • 1 shallot minced
Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

  • Start by combining rinsed fermented black soybeans, ginger, garlic, and shallot in a food processor. Process until minced. fermented black soybeans, ginger, garlic, and shallot which has been pulsed together in a food processor
  • Next heat up some vegetable oil on medium, then add the contents of the food processor and cook for 2 minutes.fermented black soybeans, ginger, garlic, and shallot frying in oil in a skillet
  • Then it's time to add the remaining ingredients: red chili flakes, sugar, Shaoxing rice wine, and light soy sauce. Combine and cook on medium low for around 10 minutes, stirring every so often. fermented black soybeans, ginger, garlic, and shallot with added chili flakes, sugar, Shaoxing rice wine and soy sauce
  • Allow to cool, then store in the fridge in a glass jar or airtight container. Black bean sauce in a glass bowl with a spoon holding some of the black bean sauce; white dish in the background with fermented black beans

Notes

This sauce is salty, so it's best to start with a little and then add to taste when using in stir fries or other dishes. Your delicious Chinese black bean sauce should keep for about a month in the fridge...if it lasts that long!  

Nutrition

Calories: 1094kcalCarbohydrates: 59gProtein: 40gFat: 82gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 39gMonounsaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 1gSodium: 6833mgPotassium: 371mgFiber: 14gSugar: 31gVitamin A: 1189IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 100mgIron: 4mg Keyword black bean sauce, chinese black bean sauce Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Tag » What Is Black Bean Sauce