Top Black Bean Sauces for your Better-than-Takeout Asian Recipes

Considered as one of the oldest condiments in Chinese culinary history, douchi or fermented black soybeans has found its way in the local cuisines of Far Eastern countries and Chinese diaspora communities. In Korea, their black bean sauce is made from roasted soybeans and is called chunjang. In Cambodia, it’s referred to as seang and is commonly used with a fermented salted fish dish called prahok. Filipinos and Vietnamese call this sauce tausi or tau xi respectively where it’s also often used with steamed fish.

Not to be confused with black turtle beans from Central and South America, douchi is made from fermenting and salting black soybeans. The sauce itself is easy to make, but the best part is that there is also a wide variety of easy recipes that you can cook with it. 

Its briny and almost bittersweet flavors are so distinct yet so versatile and universally loved that it would be a mistake not to have this in your pantries. Since it takes a saltier taste than your usual food seasonings, a little goes a long way.

Craving for those steamed spare ribs with fermented black beans and chili peppers from your neighborhood Chinese restaurant? Or maybe some Korean black bean noodles or jajangmyeon for a midnight snack? Here are two of the best and most popular Black Bean Sauce products that you can buy online and delivered straight to your homes via Karman Foods.

Lee Kum Kee’s ready-to-use black bean sauce includes minced garlic in their ingredient list for an added garlicky-bite of spiciness that can wonderfully flavor your favorite Chinese dishes. You can use it as a beef marinade or as a Peking duck dipping sauce. Prepare dishes like Classic Black Bean Chicken by stir-frying your chicken with green peppers, shallots, and adding 1 tablespoon of this Black Bean Garlic Sauce and a teaspoon of sugar to balance the flavors out. Keep stir-frying until cooked through!

Also available in a case of 6, 8oz. each: Lee Kum Kee Black Bean Garlic Sauce. Order Chinese food online. 

A product from Korea, Chung Jung One’s Black Bean Paste is your choice of ingredient when preparing jajangmyeon. Compared to most bitter black bean pastes, this chunjang has a rich yet sweet and savory flavor that won’t overwhelm your tastebuds. One pack is already enough for around 10 servings of jajangmyeon or more so be careful with the amount you put in to keep the saltiness at bay! Whether you’re preparing for Korea’s Black Day on April 14 where single people eat black noodles with their friends to commemorate their lonesome relationship status, or preparing a Korean feast with your family, all you need to do is add this sauce while stir-frying your noodles with onions, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, and other preferred vegetables, and top it with some scallions. See more of our Korean market products.

Despite being one of the oldest condiments, these two ingredients will surely help you in preparing different types of Korean or Chinese dishes. Moreover, the health benefits that these two ingredients provide are relatively good for your body. Surely, having these two ingredients hanging around in your kitchen will be beneficial in times when your Korean-Chinese cravings kicks in.

Want to know more about some the best Asian comfort food? Visit karmanfoods.com to get the best Asian comfort food for the soul! See more Asian products from our Asian Grocery Store.