Homemade spicy version of Chinese black bean sauce uses fermented black beans, peanuts, sesame seeds and garlic with an amazingly yummy taste. We call it spicy and aromatic black bean sauce (香辣豆豉酱).
If you ask me about my favorite seasonings, I would put fermented black bean in the first place followed by Sichuan Doubanjiang. Fermented beans enjoy a high popularity inside China. Besides, fermented black beans, we also have homemade fermented soy beans. The later one was one of the common appetizers in my grandmother’s dinner table. Each year, she made large jars of Sichuan pickled vegetables, fermented soy beans and doubanjiang. We would bring large bags of food after each visiting.
There are many famous black bean sauces available on Asian market like Laoganma black bean sauce and other brands. The version I shared today is a special version my mother named as “rice suffer” literally means that if you get this black bean sauce, then your rice will be consumed quickly. This is the very basic version and you can definitely add some mushrooms, even beef, chicken to this sauce. Just make sure that each ingredient needs to be fried to dry before mixing to the sauce.
Fermented black bean, in Chinese Traditional Medicine is a food with medicinal benefits. But for me, I care about the taste mostly.
Tips for the garlic cloves: I would not recommend smash the garlic clove. Finely chop it to similar size otherwise some of them might be burnt during frying process.
Tips for keeping: this black bean sauce can be kept for several months as long as the content is soaked with oil.
Recipes you can apply this sauce:
Spicy grilled fish | Steamed ribs with fermented soy beans |
Black Bean Sauce—Homemade Spicy Version
Ingredients
- 1 cup fermented black bean
- 1/2 cup finely chopped garlic cloves
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts
- 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon chili pepper powder
- 1 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Stir fry the fermented black bean in pan without oil for around 1 to 2 minutes until they are separated from each other. Transfer out.
- Pour around 1 cup of vegetable oil in wok or pan; add chopped garlic cloves to stir fry over medium fire until you can smell the aroma. Add fried fermented black beans. Use slow fire to continue frying for 5~8 minutes.
- Add roasted peanuts, sesame seeds, chili pepper powder and Chinese five spice powder in. Mix well.
- Add sugar and light soy sauce in. Combine well. Remove from fire to cool down.
- Transfer to airtight container for around 1 or 2 days so all the ingredients can combine well.
- Serve directly as appetizers, with steamed rice or apply in recipes.
Notes
- This yummy black bean sauce can be kept for months in airtight container if the content is well soaked with oil.
- If you want to add mushrooms, chicken or beef, do deep-frying or roast them to remove the water.
I usually make my own black bean sauce instead of buying it so I will definitely try this recipe. This just looks so good!!
Hi Marie, homemade version is much healthier and taste greater. Try it when you can find fermented soy beans.
so grateful for this recipe, because we can not buy black bean sauce in my country. will try it immediately.
Hotcha, if you can find fermented black bean, homemade version is quite easy and yummy.
Thank you for your Grandmothers recipe Elaine, so easy to make and 1000 times tastier than bought already made, most appreciated
Hi Sally,
Thanks for the feedback. Personally I love this sauce a lot and make my small batches from time to time. I am so glad that it works for you too. I will get more treasure information when visit my grandmother next time.
Thank you for this recipe! I am not Chinese and am used to buying black bean sauce in a jar which is puréed until smooth. Would you ever puree this type of recipe?
Possibly yes. We have many bean sauces in China and there is one named as soy bean sauce (黄豆酱) quite similar to your description. But it is a very basic sauce and need long time fermentation. So I have not tried to make it at home before.
Hi Elaine. Thanks for this recipe. I’m bookmarking it for future reerence.
But to start with, I’d need to make the fermented black bean from scratch. I have the black soya bean ready but alas no recipe or directions on how to go about it! 🙂 Would you be able to help?
Hi Nina,
We usually buy well fermented black beans from the market and it may slightly hard to make at home. My grandma used to make her own fermented black beans. I will try to get the directions in this winter if she has a plan to do some this year. Sorry that I cannot provide instant help, as I never tried to make fermented black beans at home. However, this is a very good suggestion because there should be some one to record this valuable information.
Hi Elaine, I would love to make fermented black beans too. Any luck getting the directions from your grandmother? Thank you for sharing your delicious recipes.
Everything is prepared now. The recipe and guideline will be post soon.
Hi, can I add dried mushroom onto the mixture or should I soak it in water first then fry it before putting it in the mixture? Thanks. 🙂
Hi Deniece,
If you want to use dried mushrooms, pre-soak them until soft and then squeeze the water out before using.
I made this recipe two weeks ago and it’s fantastic. I would like to make another batch but I ran out of light soy sauce. Can I use dark soy sauce instead? Thanks. 🙂
Hi Elaine, may I know if you have a recipe for non-spicy black bean paste? I’m looking to use it on a recipe that calls for the non-spicy version. Thank you!
Hi Dee,
If you love a non-spicy version, the packaged Chinese fermented black bean should ok perfectly in other recipes.
Hi
Many thanks for the mouth-watering recipe. I was wondering if you had a chance to ask your grandmother how she ferments her own beans? I’m very interested since I’ll be living abroad and it is very hard to get fermented beans where I’ll be living. I worry about not finding fermented beans more than I do not finding a good apartment!
It’d be great to get the recipe as I was googling this and no one seems to do it! Which makes me wonder if it’s that difficult to do. But all other recipes for fermentation are fairly easy and the hardest part is waiting!
Thanks in advance 🙂
Hi Hajer,
Now, it is not the season right now. I will return back to my grandma’s house after she harvest the soy beans in the following autumn. So I hope I can share a detailed post introduce the process and tips of make fermented beans at home.
Thanks for the suggestion, I do appreciate it.
Can you tell me what type of sugar you use for your Black Bean Sauce?
I have Maltose, rock sugar, palm sugar, coconut sugar (different that palm) and white sugar, but will be happy to try a different sugar to get the most authentic taste.
Thanks
Usually we use white sugar. It is the most popular cooking sugar in Chinese cuisine.
Just made some using Palm sugar, however….
I had the oil too hot before I put the sliced garlic in and I think it got burnt, the garlic in the finished product is brown.
I’ll try it in a few days, and if it isn’t wonderful, I’ll make a new batch next weekend, but will be more careful with the temperature of the oil.