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    Home » Recipes » Tofu and Beans

    Pan-fried Tofu with Black Bean Sauce

    January 11, 2019 by Elaine 22 Comments | Jump to Recipe

    Pan-fried crispy tofu with black bean sauce(豆豉豆腐). It is a very simple tofu dish require any 5 ingredients but taste super yummy. And most important it is super fast, easy, and requiring just basic cooking skills. pan-fried tofu with fermented black beans|chinasichuanfood.com

    Fermented Chinese black beans is the underrated star for Chinese cuisine. However in Cantonese cuisine and Sichuan cuisine, it is one of the most ingredients. In Sichuan cuisine, fermented black beans is the key seasoning for lots of famous Sichuan dishes like Mapo tofu, twice cooked pork and other water boiled dishes.  Thousands of miles away, in Cantonese, people love to steam dishes with those yummy beans, like steamed ribs with black bean sauce and steamed chicken feet. With the magic flavors bought by the fermentation process, we can turn regular and plain ingredients like tofu  into yummy stuff in minutes.

    pan-fried tofu with fermented black beans|chinasichuanfood.com

    pan-fried tofu with fermented black beans|chinasichuanfood.com

    Cook's Note

    1. Don't cut tofu into too thin slices. An appropriate thickness can help to create a crisp shell and soft inside.  Thin slices usually dry out after pan-frying.
    2. Roughly chopping the fermented black beans can make take full flavors.  For convenience, you can make a sauce.

    Ingredients

    • 1 block of firm tofu
    • 2 tbsp. cooking oil
    • 1 tbsp. fermented black beans or black bean sauce
    • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
    • 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
    • 2 tbsp. stock or water
    • ¼ tsp. sugar
    • a small bunch of garlic sprouts (蒜苗) or scallion

    Instructions

    Cut tofu into thick slices (around 2 cm thick). salt and pepper tofu|chinasichuanfood.com

    Prepare a non-stick pan, pour in 2 tablespoons of cooking oil, place the tofu slices in. And fry tofu until crispy one one side and then slow down the fire and fry the other side until crispy and golden brown too.salt and pepper tofu|chinasichuanfood.com

    Transfer tofu out and leave the oil in. Place garlic and chopped fermented black beans or black bean sauce in and fry for 10 seconds over medium to low fire until aromatic.

    pan-fried tofu with fermented black beans|chinasichuanfood.com

    Place tofu, light soy sauce, stock or water  and garlic sprouts. Fry and toss until each piece is well coated.

    pan-fried tofu with fermented black beans|chinasichuanfood.com

    Serve hot!pan-fried tofu with fermented black beans|chinasichuanfood.com

    Other tofu dishes

    1. Mapo tofu
    2. Steamed tofu
    3. Crispy sesame tofu
    4. Kung pao tofu
    5. Sweet and sour tofu
    6. Scrambled tofu
    7. Pan-fried tofu with chive and egg

    Pan-fried tofu with black bean sauce

    Super delicious pan-fried tofu with black bean sauce
    5 from 8 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: Chinese
    Keyword: Black bean sauce, tofu
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes
    Servings: 2
    Calories: 139kcal
    Author: Elaine

    Ingredients

    • 1 box firm tofu
    • 2 tbsp. vegetable cooking oil
    • 1 tbsp. fermented black beans or black bean sauce
    • 2 cloves garlic , finely chopped
    • 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
    • 2 tbsp. water
    • ¼ tsp. sugar
    • a small bunch of garlic sprouts (蒜苗) or scallion

    Instructions

    • Cut tofu into 2 cm thick slices.
    • Prepare a non-stick pan, pour in 2 tablespoons of cooking oil, place the tofu slices in. And fry tofu until crispy one one side and then slow down the fire and fry the other side until crispy and golden brown too.
    • Transfer tofu out and leave the oil in. Place garlic and chopped fermented black beans or black bean sauce in and fry for 10 seconds over medium to low fire until aromatic.
    • Place tofu, light soy sauce, stock or water  and garlic sprouts. Fry and toss until each piece is well coated.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 139kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Sodium: 414mg | Vitamin C: 0.9mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 0.2mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @ChinaSichuanFood or tag #ElaineCSF!

    pan-fried tofu with fermented black beans|chinasichuanfood.com

     

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kay

      February 03, 2019 at 1:11 am

      How long can you keep an unopened jar of Black Bean Sauce? More than a year?

      Reply
      • Elaine

        February 03, 2019 at 9:32 am

        Do you mean the store bought black bean sauce? Usually in fridge no more than 1 month. We use this sauce very quickly in daily cooking.

        Reply
    2. Maureen

      February 23, 2019 at 8:41 am

      5 stars
      This tastes delicious! My tofu always sticks to the pan and breaks when I turn it over. It is not as pretty in the bowl as yours. Thank you for your wonderful recipes. They are the most authentic to China that I ever see.

      Reply
      • Elaine

        February 24, 2019 at 9:21 am

        Maureen,
        Easily broken tofu pieces is caused by the extra water in the block. Next time, place a weight on the tofu block and remove water and try again. Thanks so much for the wonderful feedback.

        Reply
    3. Robert

      June 05, 2019 at 9:17 pm

      5 stars
      I was planning on making this a couple of weeks ago after I cooked your Kung Pao Chicken recipe but just got around to it last night. This was another really good recipe from your site. I will be making it again soon. I may add an extra tablespoon of stock next time just to create a little more sauce but that is just a personal preference. Thanks again for the recipe.

      Robert

      Reply
      • Elaine

        June 07, 2019 at 7:19 pm

        Thanks Robert for the feedback. This is a hidden star in my kitchen. Very quick and humble.

        Reply
    4. Andrea

      July 30, 2019 at 10:56 am

      5 stars
      Just made this now. This is very tasty and fragrant! I added bell peppers, didn't have scallions.

      Reply
      • Elaine

        July 30, 2019 at 8:09 pm

        Thanks Andrea!!

        Reply
    5. Joann

      December 11, 2019 at 1:29 pm

      5 stars
      Made this tonight and really enjoyed it. I did add some red bell pepper just because I'm trying to get more vegetables on the table. My family really enjoyed it. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Elaine

        December 11, 2019 at 8:07 pm

        Sure, Joann. You can add lots of vegetables and make this a healthier dish. Happy cooking!

        Reply
    6. LK

      May 02, 2020 at 11:40 pm

      5 stars
      This is 2nd time I made this dish. First time I used tau kwa cos I thought that was the right one... turned out very beany taste, too beany for my liking lol.

      2nd time I used firm tofu as instructed and it was good (no strong beany taste). I also crushed the dou chi instead of chopping and it seems to distribute flavors more evenly, and added some torn pieces of dried chilli (chao tian jiao). Turned out awesome.

      Amazed something so simple turns out so good. Much better than the fare we get outside. Thanks for sharing!
      <333

      Reply
      • LK

        May 02, 2020 at 11:46 pm

        ps: the chillis I have look like your Bullet Head Chili (Zi Dan Tou, 子弹头) instead of chao tian jiao which is what it says on the packaging lol.

        Reply
        • Elaine

          May 05, 2020 at 7:21 am

          Can be used alternatively in most cases.

          Reply
      • Elaine

        May 05, 2020 at 7:19 am

        Thanks Lk for your lovely feedback. I often cook unbelievably delicious flavors with very simple ingredients. I believe this one is on the list. Adding dried chili is a brilliant idea. Happy cooking.

        Reply
    7. Janet

      March 17, 2021 at 3:35 am

      So, if I just use the black beans from the bag should I rinse or soak them? I usually do, but for this quick recipe I'm not sure.

      Reply
      • Elaine

        May 07, 2021 at 8:51 am

        If you want a lighter version, you can soak them to remove the some salt. But I don't do this in all of my recipes.

        Reply
    8. Kelly Figiel

      April 27, 2021 at 7:32 am

      5 stars
      We have made it twice. My family loves it. We add red pepper fakes for a little kick.

      Reply
      • Kelly Figiel

        April 27, 2021 at 7:32 am

        *flakes

        Reply
    9. Andrw Wheeler

      May 27, 2021 at 5:22 am

      I love your website and your recipes. Would like menu suggestions. As in what to serve with this dish. Especially vegetables.

      Andrew

      Reply
      • Elaine

        May 27, 2021 at 9:56 am

        Good suggestion, Andrw!

        Reply
    10. Lavender

      April 05, 2022 at 9:56 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you so much for this recipe. I made this for my wife and we both loved it so much. One of my favourite tofu recipes!

      Reply
      • Elaine

        April 08, 2022 at 10:35 am

        My pleasure, Lavender. I am so happy to hear that.

        Reply

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