Chinese Black Bean Sauce Recipes

Steps:

• Rinse black beans thoroughly and dry. Remove about 1/4 cup and set aside. Roughly chop the rest of the beans.
• Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add chiles, shallot, ginger, and garlic. Fry until soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Do not let the ingredients burn. Reduce the heat if necessary. The objective is to slow cook the ingredients. Add all the beans; both chopped and whole. Simmer, stirring often, until the beans are soft, about 2 minutes. Add tamari, rice wine, brown sugar, ground Sichuan pepper, and five spice. Simmer until thickened, stirring often. Remove from heat; let cool, about 10 minutes.
• Mix in sesame oil and cover. As the sauce rests, the beans will settle and the oil will float, creating a barrier which will protect it from mold. The sauce is ready to use or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Steps:

• Rinse and debeard the mussels.
• Prepare the ingredients and organize your mise en place. For this dish, you need to have everything ready to go before you start to cook.
• Place the aromatics (dried chiles, scallions, ginger, Chinese black beans, garlic and chile bean paste) in a small bowl. Reserve.
• Combine the chicken stock and cornstarch in a small bowl; stir to incorporate.
• Preheat a large wok fitted with a domed lid over high heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat. Add the bowl of aromatics and cook for 30 seconds, tossing with a wooden spoon or spatula. Then add the sugar, mussels, sake and carrot ribbons, and shake the wok or toss to coat. Cover and cook for 1 minute.
• Stir the cornstarch-chicken stock mixture again, add to the wok, then cover and cook for 3 minutes, shaking the wok or tossing every minute.
• Remove the lid. Arrange any mussels that are cooked and open in serving bowls.[Cover and continue to cook any remaining mussels for another minute. Transfer open mussels to serving bowls; discard any that do not open. Pour the sauce over the mussels and serve.