I used to purchase Chinese fermented black beans (豆汁) in the sauce form, but because the few times I had purchased them whole I was disappointed with the flavor. I decided to give them another try. When I couldn’t find them at one of our local Asian markets, I asked the shop owner where they were located and she pointed took me to a Tupperware container in the fridge. They were enclosed in an extra forcefield of plastic because they were “too stinky” to be on the shelf with other goods.
She ain’t kidding. I didn’t realize 豆汁 were supposed to be that THAT aromatic. Sine then, I’ve made a few awesome stir fries and as well as in MaPo Tofu (麻婆豆腐).
I followed the a general formula from Chinese Food Demystified, using some white pepper and tangerine peel (陳皮) in the mix. I added some Chinese Celery, ginger, and garlic for the aromatics as well, and finished with dark soy sauce and oyster sauce.
