These Chinese Fermented Black Bean Recipes are authentic and delicious! Learn how to use this savory and salty condiment in all your favorite dishes.
Beef, pork, chicken, tofu, and vegetarian recipes are all available!
What Are Fermented Black Beans?
Fermented black beans are a common ingredient in Chinese cooking.
They're made by fermenting salt and black soybeans, typically for at least two months, resulting in a dry bean that's very salty, slightly bitter, and sweet.
They can be made into black bean sauce or paste or used directly as a seasoning in various dishes.
How to prepare them?
Fermented black beans are typically rinsed a few times before cooking to clean and reduce excess salt.
For the best results, rinse them for a few seconds under cold water, then let them soak for at least 5 minutes.
Once the beans are soft, you can use them as they are or chop them up. If you chop them into smaller pieces, they'll give your dish a stronger taste.
1. Beef with Bitter Melon
Try this beef and bittermelon stir-fry that takes 30 minutes to prepare! The tender and juicy beef complements the bitter melon, all coated in a savory black bean-based sauce.
To prepare the bitter melon, cut it in half and scoop out the seeds before slicing and briefly blanching it. Cook the ginger, brown the beef, and mix with the black beans, garlic, and bitter melon!
Serve this dish with warm steamed rice or noodles for a satisfying meal.
2. Chicken with Black Beans
This is one of the tastiest stir fries you can make and is mega popular at Chinese takeout restaurants!
This dish is rich in umami, thanks to the fermented black beans, ginger, and garlic. It has a vibrant color from the red and green peppers, making it a perfect centerpiece for dinner parties.
Serve over freshly steamed riceโa delicious, 40-minute meal worth every bite!
3. Steamed Spare Ribs with Black Bean Sauce
This is one of my favorite fermented black bean recipes! It's a classic at Dim Sum restaurants. Enjoy this homestyle version that is ready in just 45 minutes.
This dish features pork spare ribs, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and Shaoxing wine.
The steaming process only takes 25 minutes, but if you want the meat to be super tender, you can increase it to 45 minutes to allow more time for the connective tissue to break down.
4. Pork Stir Fry With Black Beans
Pork and black bean is a match made in heaven! In this recipe, thinly sliced pork is marinated in soy sauce, sugar, Chinese cooking wine, white pepper, and sesame oil, then stir-fried with spicy chili peppers and fermented black beans.
This recipe is quick and easy, taking only 20 minutes from start to finish. Ensure you have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go, as the stir-frying takes only 5 minutes.
Serve this recipe with a side of steamed rice or buns to soak up all the delicious sauce.
5. Baby Bok Choy With Black Bean Sauce
This vegetable stir-fry gains flavor by including a few fermented black beans. The beans add a salty, savory, and funky depth to the stir fry.
Try serving this dish with a flavorful meat dish like Honey Garlic Ribs and freshly made rice.
If you don't have baby bok choy, you can substitute baby bok choy in this recipe.
6. Shrimp with Black Beans
This Shrimp with Black Beans is a quick and savory dish ready in 15 minutes! This Cantonese-inspired dish combines tender shrimp with scallions, ginger, garlic, and fermented black beans.
Simply marinate the shrimp in Chinese rice wine and cornstarch, then stir-fry with scallions, ginger, garlic, and fermented black beans until the shrimp turns opaque.
Serve immediately over rice for a quick and satisfying meal.
7. Dan Dan Noodles
With this Dan Dan Noodles recipe, you can enjoy Sichuan's bold and authentic flavors in just 30 minutes! The sauce is super rich and tastes just like the classic dish in China.
Begin by making the sauce with Chinese sesame paste, soy sauce, vinegar, honey, and Sichuan peppercorns. Cook the pork, boil thin wheat noodles, and blanch the greens.
Assemble your bowl with sauce, noodles, pork, vegetables, and a garnish of peanuts and green onion!
8. Hunan Pork
Hunan pork is a quick and delicious Chinese stir-fry that everyone will love! It consists of fatty pork slices and hot chili peppers stir-fried in a piping hot wok.
Itโs incredibly quick to prepare! No marinating necessary, no fussing with sauces โ start and finish in 10 minutes.
Serve this dish with warm rice and a side of delicious Chinese greens.
9. Pan Fried Black Bean Tofu
Crispy tofu in a savory sauce, fried in a pan! It's a straightforward tofu dish that only needs five ingredients but tastes delicious.
This dish is completely vegan! Too often, vegan food is underseasoned or boring, but not this dish. Fermented black beans have a way of making anything delicious.
Ensure you use firm tofu for this recipe, as softer tofu doesn't get as crispy in the frying pan. Cut the tofu into bigger pieces so they don't dry out as much.
10. Black Bean Steamed Fish
Black bean steamed fish was one of my favorite dishes growing up. It's a flavorful dish that can be served by itself or alongside another stir-fried vegetable dish.
A little trick I like to do is to sneak some vegetables right into the steamer along with the fish so I don't have to cook another side dish.
The dish features aromatic scallion oil and flavorful fermented black beans. It only requires five ingredients and takes 15 minutes to prepare.
11. Spicy Black Bean Sauce
This spicy sauce is made with whole fermented black beans. It has an aromatic, salty, and slightly sweet flavor that complements various ingredients, including vegetables, meat, tofu, fish, and seafood.
This sauce is highly versatile; you can add it to stir-fries, braises, and soups and use it directly as a noodle topping or salty spread for steamed buns.
Keep refrigerated for up to one to two weeks, but it'll surely be gone by then.
12. Black Bean Bitter Melon Stir Fry
This recipe is completely vegan and is a spin on the classic beef and bittermelon stir fry. Instead of beef, it's made with a combination of zucchini and mushrooms.
For those who prefer a milder taste, blanching the bittermelon in boiling water for one minute is recommended to tone down its bitterness.
Once the blanching is done, the recipe comes together rather quickly. The ingredients are added and stir-fried in sequence, then served!
13. Black Bean Crickets
Although it might sound crazy and make you squeamish, this dish works!
Crickets are the most widely consumed insect in the world and are high in protein and minerals. The best method for cooking and consuming the nutty, crunchy bugs is tossing them in a hot wok with Chinese fermented black beans.
Did you enjoy these fermented black bean recipes? Be sure to check out the other delicious recipes on this blog by checking out our Recipe Index.
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