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    Home » Ingredients » Dried and Pickled Ingredients

    Fermented Black Beans

    Sep 1, 2022 • Author: Joyce Lee • Leave a Comment • This post may contain affiliate links.

    Fermented black beans are used predominately in Asian cooking. They are made by fermenting black soybeans with salt and sometimes ginger. They are most commonly used in stir-fries, braised dishes, sauces, or steamed meat dishes.

    Dried fermented black beans on a plate
    Table of Contents
    • How To Use It?
    • Where Can I Buy It?
    • How to Store It
    • Recipes That Use Fermented Black Beans

    How To Use It?

    To bring out the flavors a bit more, it can be lightly chopped or slightly mashed with the side of your knife. They can also be used with fish but very sparingly since it has a very strong flavor that can overwhelm a dish. This ingredient is really potent so a little goes a long long way and it is very easy to overpower a dish if you put too much of it in.

    Before you use it, it is good practice to give the beans a quick rinse under water to remove the excess salt, the water also reconstitutes the beans and makes them easier to work with as well.

    Where Can I Buy It?

    You can find this in Asian grocery stores but they are most common in Chinese grocery stores. If you cannot find it locally, you can find it online on Amazon as well. Unfortunately, I have not found a good substitution for this ingredient.

    How to Store It

    You can store these in your pantry if it is in an air-tight container away from direct sunlight however we like to store these in the fridge to be safe. If you are storing them in the fridge, use an air-tight container and it can pretty much last forever.

    Recipes That Use Fermented Black Beans

    • Chinese stuffed peppers (dim sum style) filled with shrimp and pork filling with black bean sauce on a tray
      Chinese Stuffed Peppers (Dim Sum Style - 2 ways!)
    • Closeup of Chinese steamed spare ribs with black bean sauce
      Steamed Spare Ribs with Black Bean Sauce
    • Traditional stir fried Chinese bitter melon recipe made with beef and a homemade black bean sauce
      Stir Fried Bitter Melon with Beef and Black Bean Sauce

    Full disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, and as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.  I am providing these links as a way for you to see the product so that you have an idea of what to look for when you go grocery shopping. Any type of ingredients I recommend are ingredients I use at home and any opinions of them are my own opinions.

    More Dried and Pickled Ingredients

    • Chinese pickled mustard greens on a metal tray
      Pickled Mustard Greens (酸菜)
    • Whole bulbs of black garlic, and peeled cloves of black garlic on a plate
      Black Garlic
    • Bonito Flakes on a brown plate
      Bonito Flakes
    • Chinese Yellow Rock Sugar

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    Hi I’m Joyce Lee and Welcome to Pups with Chopsticks! Good eats and cooking is my passion! Join me in my kitchen as I create, test and share traditional and Asian fusion recipes with step-by-step tutorials. Read More…

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