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Beef in Black Bean Sauce

Beef in Black Bean Sauce must be one of the most requested Chinese dishes in either a restaurant or a take away. Thin slices of tender, silky beef and crispy chunks of onion and green pepper are all swathed in a smooth, rich black bean and soy sauce loaded with garlic, ginger and a hint of chilli. I promise that if you make this dish, you will be convinced that you have ordered it directly from your favourite takeaway.

Course Main Course
Cuisine Chinese
Keyword beef, black beans
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

NB In order to allow time for marinating and soaking ingredients, you need to start making this dish around an hour before you want to cook it.

Tenderising Beef Marinade:

  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Chinese/Shaoxing cooking wine. Or use cooking sake or sherry. Omit if you do not drink alcohol.
  • 2 teaspoons cornflour/cornstarch
  • ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda/baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon toasted/dark sesame oil (not the pale untoasted sesame oil)
  • 400g rump steak, thinly sliced. You can also use fillet steak. Slice the steak when it is cold from the fridge, but cook it at room temperature. (See Recipe Notes)

Sauce:

  • 1½ tablespoons all-purpose soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons caster sugar
  • ¼ – ½ teaspoon chilli flakes, depending on taste
  • 20g cornflour/cornstarch
  • 250ml water

Stir fry:

  • 75g preserved black beans. I use these beans from Amazon. (See Recipe Notes)
  • 150g/1 medium brown or white onion, peeled and cut into 2 – 2½ cm squares
  • 1 green pepper/capsicum, stem and seeds removed, cut into 2 – 2½ cm squares
  • 16g/4 plump cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped (I use a mini food processor.)
  • 16g fresh ginger, finely chopped. No need to peel. (I use a mini food processor.)
  • 2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil, or use canola.
  • 1½ tablespoons Chinese/Shaoxing cooking wine, or use cooking sake or sherry. Omit if you do not drink alcohol.

Instructions

  1. Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.

  2. Marinate the beef: mix all the marinade ingredients together, toss in the beef and set aside for at least of 1 hour.

  3. Make the sauce: make the sauce at the same time as the meat marinade. It uses similar ingredients. Mix all the ingredients, apart from the water, together and mix to a smooth paste. Mix in the water and set aside.

  4. Soak the beans: cover the beans with water and set aside to soak for 30 minutes to an hour. Drain well before cooking.

  5. Prepare the garlic, ginger, onion and pepper. This recipe comes together very quickly so make sure everything is ready before you start to cook.

  6. Cook: heat the oil a wok/frying pan, large enough to take all the ingredients, over a high heat.

    - Beef: tip in the beef and marinade and cook for 30 seconds, tossing all the time. Remove from the pan.

    - Black beans, well strained: add to the pan and cook for 20 – 30 seconds.

    - Garlic and ginger: add and cook for a further 10 seconds.

    - Onion and green pepper: tip into the pan and cook for 1 minute.

    - Beef: return the beef to the pan and heat for 1 minute.

    - Cooking wine: add to the pan, cook and stir for 30 seconds. The traditional way to do this is to pour it around the edges of the pan as this cooks the wine before hitting the food.

    - Sauce: give the sauce a good stir and pour into the pan. Cook for another minute, stirring, until thickened and everything is piping hot.

  7. Serve: serve over cooked sticky rice.

Recipe Notes

Equipment:

  • kitchen scales, measuring jug and spoons
  • chopping board and knife
  • 2 mixing bowls
  • 1 jug
  • wok

Notes on ingredients:

  • Chinese/Shaoxing cooking wine – or use cooking sake or sherry. Omit if you do not drink alcohol.
  • Bicarbonate of soda/baking soda – this is a really important ingredient which tenderises the meat.
  • Toasted/dark sesame oil – not the pale untoasted sesame oil.
  • Rump steak, thinly sliced. I have also used fillet steak for this recipe. It is easier to thinly slice the steak when it is cold from the fridge, but it is better to cook meat when it has come to room temperature. (Go to the original recipe here for more information on different types of beef which can be used and how to tenderise more economical cuts.)
  • Preserved black beans – also known as salted black beans, or fermented black beans). I use these beans from Amazon. You cannot use Western dried or tinned black beans. (For more information about these beans go to the original