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Top 10 Fermented Black Bean Recipes

By Rhonda Parkinson, About.com

Not to be confused with the black beans found in Mexican cooking, Chinese fermented black beans (also called salted black beans) are made by fermenting soybeans in garlic, salt and other spices. Popular dishes like Cantonese Lobster wouldn't be the same without their strong flavor. Here are my ten most popular Chinese recipes using fermented black beans - either the dried beans or a prepared sauce.

1. Bean and Peppers in Black Bean Sauce

Beef and bell peppers are cooked with a savory black bean sauce.

2. Beef and Black Beans With Asparagus

The sweet taste of fresh asparagus contrasts nicely with Chinese black beans.

3. Beef With Spicy Black Bean Sauce

Marinated beef is stir-fried with a spicy mixture including fermented black beans and chili paste.

4. Pork With Bitter Melon

Salted Chinese black beans are more than able to hold their own against the strong flavor of bitter melon in this flavorful stir-fry.

5. Hot Pepper and Black Bean Sauce

Finding it hard to get to the Asian market for fermented black beans on a regular basis? Another option is to make your own sauce and refrigerate until needed. Follow the recipe as outlined, or feel free to adjust it according to your own tastes.

6. Lobster Cantonese

The classic Cantonese dish, in which lobster tails are simmered in a savory black bean mixture.

7. Mapo Tofu (Mapo Dofu)

One of the most well-known dishes to come out of Szechuan province, the name Mapo Dofu is roughly translated as "pockmarked grandmother beancurd," in honor of the old woman rumoured to have invented the dish.

8. Spareribs with Black Bean Sauce

Spareribs are slowly simmered in savory black bean sauce with garlic. This recipe is reader-rated at 5 out of 5 stars.

9. Stir-fried Clams in Black Bean Sauce

Black beans can hold their own against the strong flavor of clams in this Cantonese dish.

10. Stir-fried Shrimp With Lobster Sauce

Don't let the name fool you - there is no lobster to be found in this popular dish. Its name comes from the sauce, which is virtually identical to the sauce for Cantonese Lobster.

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