Salted Black Beans Beef Stir-Fry (豆鼓炒牛肉)

Salted/fermented black beans (豆鼓) is such a versatile ingredient that I absolutely adore. Salty and sweet at the same time, it never fails adding depth to my Chinese dishes. Here's an old post back in 2013 with a picture of the salted black beans and the brand I preferred. Hopefully you can find it at your local Asian grocery store!

Salted black beans beef stir-fry - 

Ingredients?

Marinade -

• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon salted black beans
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

Others - 

• 0.5 lb beef (cut into 1/4 to 1/3 thickness bite size pieces)
• 1 onion
• 1 red chili
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Some black pepper
• Some chopped cilantro

How?

Peel and roughly chop the garlic cloves. Mix the chopped garlic with salted black beans and soy sauce. Use this marinade to massage the beef pieces. Cover and refrigerate, let it marinate for at least 2 hours. If marinate over 12 hours or overnight, you might want to reduce the amount of salt used later on.

Peel and slice the onion. Trim off the chili stem and give it a fine chop.

Drizzle some olive oil to the pan and turn to medium high heat. Add in the onion along with some salt and black pepper. Give it a quick stir and cook till the edges of the onion turns slightly browned. Remember to add in the chilies halfway through.

Add in the beef and all the marinade. Cook till fully cooked through, even slightly browned on the meat is fine.

Plate the beef and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Salted black beans work well on various ingredients. Not just beef, it can also be used in fish, pork, chicken, and even tofu. Try to find a high quality version to get the full benefit of its natural sweetness from the fermentation. 


Other recipes using salted black beans:

• Simplified version of steamed salmon with salted black beans (豆鼓蒸魚)
• Chinese chive flowers and salted black beans stir-fry - wait till you find out this dish's real name
• Pork ribs with salted black beans 豆鼓排骨 - so flavorful, you won't even know it's just a steamed dish!
• Spicy chicken stir-fry with salted black beans 辣炒豆鼓雞