Black bean beef

Black bean beef has been a takeaway classic since takeaways began, and it's all down to the beans. These dried and fermented flavour bombs are bursting with a deep, rich, unique flavour, says Eva Pau, who uses them in a from-scratch sauce for her version of the takeaway favourite.

Black bean beef. Credit: Eva Pau's Asian Kitchen

• serves

  2

• prep

  5 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

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Ingredients

• 20 ml hot water
• 20 g fermented black beans
• 300 g beef, sliced
• Vegetable oil, for cooking
• ½ small white onion
• ¼ green capsicum (pepper)
• ¼ red capsicum (pepper)
• 4 garlic cloves
• Cooked rice, to serve
• Sliced red chilli to garnish, optional

Seasoning mix

• 100 ml cold tap water
• ½ tsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 3 tsp light soy sauce

Marinade for beef

• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 3 tsp light soy sauce
• ½ tsp sesame oil
• ¼ tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp sugar

Cornstarch mix

• 1½ tsp cornstarch
• 50 ml water

Marinating time: 15-20 minutes.

Instructions

1. First, rehydrate the beans. Add the hot water into a bowl with the black beans and set aside.
2. Mix all the seasoning ingredients together and set aside. Add all the marinade ingredients to the beef and set aside for 15 to 20 mins.
3. Slice the onion and capsicum into nice big 4 cm (1½ inch) chunks. Peel and finely chop the garlic.
4. Heat a pan over high heat. Add some oil, then the garlic and the drained black beans. Stir fry for a minute until the flavours and aromas are released. Remove mixture and set aside. Be careful not to over fry the black bean as this will make the sauce taste slightly bitter.
5. Add some more oil into the pan, then add the beef and stir fry for 4-5 minutes. Set beef aside.
6. Next stir fry the onion and the peppers with some oil for 3-4 minutes until the vegetables are soft but still a little crunchy. Add the garlic and black bean mixture. Next the seasoning mix and stir fry for 1 minute before adding the beef. Mix well.
7. Mix the cornstarch with the water then slowly add the mix, stirring, to thicken the sauce. Serve with rice. Garnish with chilli, if desired.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

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Eva Pau's Asian Kitchen

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