A rich, balanced sauce using fermented black beans, sake, and sambal.

Black bean sauce comes in jars, cans and vacuum packs and is sometimes flavoured with garlic, ginger, chillies or spices. Do not use black bean sauce interchangeably with yellow bean sauce ...

You can buy fermented black beans in several forms: plain (usually sold in small bags), in jars (usually labelled "black bean sauce") or flavoured with garlic and chillies (not that common).

An authentic version of the classic beef in black bean sauce from Jeremy Pang. This recipe uses feremented black soy beans, which you can find in Asian supermarkets, online and in large supermarkets.

In a small bowl, mash the fermented bean curd with the brine to a smooth paste. Mix in the sugar, soy sauce and rice wine. Finely mince the garlic cloves. Cut the chillies into thin rings ...

And they said, "Let's do beans, so let's have bean ketchup ... It originated as a thin soy sauce made from fermented fish most likely from a region called Tonkin, or in what we call Vietnam ...