Black Bean
A savoury Cantonese sauce of fermented black beans, garlic, ginger, soy and a touch of chilli.
makes 16 cubes, about 14p each
- Time
- 15 min10 min prep · 5 min cook
- Makes
- 16 cubes
- Cost per cubePer cube
- 14p
- Calories per cubeCalories
- 40 kcal
- A serving
- 2 cubes
- Spice
- 2 of 5
You’ll need
- 60gfermented black beans, rinsed and chopped
- 8 cloves (40g)garlic
- 30gfresh ginger
- 1 (10g)red chilli
- 60mlsoy sauce
- 30mlShaoxing wine or dry sherry
- 20gsugar
- 20gcornflour
- 15mlsesame oil
- 300mlwater
- 20mlrapeseed oil
Allergens: Gluten, Sesame, Soya, Sulphites. Check the labels on stock cubes, sauces and pastes, as brands vary.
Use it for
Black bean beef with peppers and rice · 2 cubes; Black bean chicken noodles · 3 cubes; Steamed fish with black bean sauce · 1 cube
Method
- Step 1: Fry the garlic, ginger and chilli in the oil over a medium heat for 1 minute.
- Step 2: Add the black beans for 30 seconds, then the soy, wine, sugar and water.
- Step 3: Whisk in the cornflour mixed with 3 tbsp cold water and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Step 4: Stir in the sesame oil and cool.
- Step 5: Pour into 30ml trays and freeze.
| kcal | protein | carbs | fat | fibre | salt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per cube | 40 | 0.7g | 4.4g | 2.2g | 0.2g | 0.57g |
| Per 2 cubes | 80 | 1.4g | 8.8g | 4.4g | 0.4g | 1.14g |
Cook’s notes
- Straight from frozen into a hot wok.
- Fermented black beans are sold in bags at Asian grocers; they keep for months.
- A jar of black bean sauce works in a pinch; skip the soy and sugar.
Use it for
- Black bean beef with peppers and rice · 2 cubes
- Black bean chicken noodles · 3 cubes
- Steamed fish with black bean sauce · 1 cube
Freeze, reheat and serve
- Freeze
- Cool it within two hours, freeze it in 30ml ice-cube trays, then bag and label the cubes. It keeps for 4 months.
- Use from frozen
- Straight from frozen into a hot wok. Never refreeze thawed cubes.
- A portion
- 2 cubes is a serving: about 80 kcal.
Black Bean questions
What are fermented black beans?
They're soya beans that have been salted and fermented, which makes them soft, salty and intensely savoury. They're nothing like the black beans used in Mexican cooking, so don't swap one for the other.
Why rinse the black beans?
They're very salty. A quick rinse takes off the excess so the soy sauce can season the sauce without it becoming too much.
What vegetables or tofu work with it?
Firm tofu, aubergine, green peppers and broccoli all suit it. Fry them until browned, then add the cubes at the end and toss until glossy.
Freezer meals that go with it
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Updated . Nutrition, costs and yields are estimates.