Salted black beans

Whole black soybeans salted, fermented and dried: pungent, salty, faintly sweet. Steamed ribs in black bean sauce, clams with black bean and chilli and the tinned dace all start from them; rinse, crush lightly and fry with garlic. The Yangjiang beans are the famous ones.

Cautions: read first

• Contains soy, a mandatory-declaration allergen in Australia; very salty, so go easy on salt once the beans are in.

Preparation

Rinse, then crush lightly with the flat of a knife.

Origin

Yangjiang, Guangdong. Asian grocers sell the dried beans in packets (Yangjiang, Hung Cheong); supermarkets carry only the jarred black bean sauce.

Availability in Australia

Easy to find

Pairs well with