Name: Beef in Black Bean Sauce
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: FOR THE BLACK BEAN SAUCE; 4 tbsp fermented black beans; 1 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil; 1 tbsp sesame oil; 2 tbsp garlic, finely chopped; 2 tbsp ginger, finely chopped; 2 tbsp Shaoxing Chinese rice wine or dry sherry; 1 tbsp dark soy sauce (more or less to taste); 1 tsp rice vinegar; 1 tbsp granulated or caster sugar; 250ml (1 cup) unsalted or low sodium chicken stock; 1 tbsp corn flour (cornstarch) mixed with 3 tablespoons cold water; VELVETING THE BEEF; 500g (1 ¼ lbs.) beef skirt, flank, rump or chuck, sliced thinly against the grain; 1 ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda); TO FINISH; 1 tbsp sesame oil; 1 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil or corn oil; 1 onion, quartered and divided and sliced into small petals; 1 red bell pepper, seeds and membrane removed and cut into small pieces; 1 green bell pepper, seeds and membranes removed and cut into small piece; 500g (1 ¼ lbs.) beef skirt, flank, rump or chuck, sliced thinly against the grain; All of the prepared black bean sauce or two tablespoons shop-bought black bean sauce; 125ml (1/2 cup) water; 2 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced to garnish; 1 tbsp sesame seeds, to garnish

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Want to know how to make beef in black bean sauce that’s better than the takeaway?

Beef in black bean sauce it one of those Chinese restaurant favourites that can most definitely be made even better at home. I have been making this recipe for three decades and the information I give you here will put you on your way to beef in black bean sauce perfection.

There are a few shortcuts you can take but I hope you don’t. Still, I will give you those shortcuts in this post along with the way I make beef and black bean sauce when only the best will do.

About this beef in black bean sauce recipe.

With this recipe you really can cheat. Use shop bought black bean sauce if you must but you will prefer my homemade black bean sauce. It only takes about 10 minutes to prepare and you can make it a couple of days ahead of serving your beef in black bean sauce.

Another thing you could do is simply thinly slice some beef and add it to the pan. So many recipes will tell you to do just that but I always use velveted beef for my stir fries. Velveting is a method of tenderising the beef which, like the black bean sauce is another step but a step well worth taking.

Both recipes for the black bean sauce and how to velvet beef are in the recipe card below but if you’d like to work ahead, just click on the links and get started. There are step by step photos in both recipes.

How is the black bean sauce prepared?

Although you will find the ingredients and method for the black bean sauce in the recipe card below, I have written a special post on black bean sauce where you will see step by step photographs.

All you need to do to make this homemade sauce for your beef in black bean dinner is finely chop about 4 tablespoons of Chinese fermented black beans. These are then fried with aromatics such as garlic, ginger and spring onions (scallions) along with a few flavour boosters such as Shaoxing rice wine, soy sauce and chicken stock.

You will find my post on making black bean sauce here. It keeps for at least a week in the fridge and also freezes well if you want to make extra.

How do you substitute a commercial brand of black bean sauce?

If you must or if time is an issue, you can use a shop-bought black bean sauce. Your beef in black bean sauce will be better if you make your own so please consider doing this.

When adding a commercial brand of black bean sauce, start by adding about 2 tablespoons. Taste it before serving and add more to taste if needed. You add more of the homemade black bean sauce because there are so many other complimentary ingredients such as ginger, garlic and spring onions that bulk it up.

How do you velvet the beef?

Velveting the beef will produce really tender meat so it is an important step if you want beef in black bean sauce that’s as good as if not better than the Chinese takeaway.

Although the process of velveting the beef is really easy, you also need to ensure that you slice the meat thinly against the grain. Both the slicing and the velveting techniques are explained in my blog post velveting beef with step by step photos.

To velvet the beef, you just need to add a little bicarbonate of soda (baking soda US) and mix it well into the beef with a little water.

How long can you keep leftovers in the fridge?

You can store the leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days. Then you just need to heat it up in your microwave or heat up a wok and let it heat through.

Can you freeze leftover Beef in Black Bean Sauce?

Yes! This dish freezes really well. Just be sure to freeze it in portion sizes that are convenient for you. You can freeze it for up to 6 months with little loss of flavour.

Step by step photographs.

Get all your ingredients together before you start frying. In the photo, I have already prepared homemade black bean sauce and velveted the beef.

Heat about 500ml (2 cups) of oil in a wok until bubbles form and it is glistening. Then flash fry the meat in batches for about a minute to brown. Transfer to a paper towel and set aside.

Note about the beef in the photo.

This beef was prepared using my velveting beef recipe and was also marinated as in that recipe. It is really worth a try. Marinating the meat as in that recipe takes it all up a few notches!

Pour out all but about 2 tbsp of the oil and place your wok over a high heat. When the oil begins to glisten, add the onion petals and fry them for a minute or so.

Adding the bell peppers and spring onions (scallions) to the wok.

Add the bell peppers and spring onions (scallions) Stir it all up and fry for another couple of minutes.

Add the velveted beef to the wok. If you are starting with raw sliced beef, please see the note in the recipe card below.

Adding the black bean sauce to the ingredients in the wok.

Add one batch of black bean sauce. If using a commercial brand, add about 2 tablespoons. You can always add more to taste later.

Stirring the ingredients in the wok to combine and adding stock for the sauce.

Stir it all up to combine and then pour in 125ml (1/2 cup) chicken or vegetable stock and bring to a simmer.

Adding the slurry to the sauce to thicken it.

Add the slurry to the sauce to thicken it. If it becomes too thick, just add a little more stock.

Continue simmering to cook the sauce down until you are happy with the consistency.

Seasoning with freshly ground black pepper.

Check for seasoning and add soy sauce, if needed for a more savoury flavour, sugar for sweetness and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Beef in black bean sauce served at the table with rice.

Serve it up and garnish with slices spring onions (scallions) and sesame seeds.

Close up photo of beef in black bean sauce.

Dig in!

If you like this beef in black bean sauce recipe, you might like to try some of the following Chinese recipes too!

I am adding new Chinese recipes to my blog regularly so be sure to check out the Chinese section often. For now, why not try some of these Chinese-American classics?

Have you tried this beef in black bean sauce recipe?

If yes, please give it a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I love receiving your feedback and I’m sure other readers of my blog do too. Thank you.

Yield: 4