Chinese dried black beans, also known as fermented black beans, are salted or preserved black beans. They are used in Chinese cooking to season meat, poultry and seafood. You can find them at any Asian markets in the St. Louis area. Since the beans are preserved, they will keep indefinitely, and once you learn how to use them, they’re nice to have on hand for an earthy, savory kick.
Usually this sauce is made in advance and added to meat or poultry, but we made the sauce in the pan to save time and reserved the soy sauce to give the greens some moisture. Greens and mushrooms have always been a personal favorite, and this is a Chinese spin on the pairing. The fermented black beans accentuate the mushrooms earthy flavors.
Wilted Greens with Mushrooms in Black Bean Sauce
2 to 4 servings
2 Tbsp. fermented black beans
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 lb. shiitake mushrooms, sliced
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp. garlic, minced
2 tsp. ginger, grated
½ cup white wine
3 Tbsp. butter, divided
1 lb. greens (spinach, kale, Swiss chard, etc.), cleaned and stems removed, if necessary
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
Sriracha or other hot sauce
• Soak black beans in a bowl of cool water for 30 minutes, changing the water every 10 minutes. Drain and mash beans with a spoon.
• Place a saute pan over high heat until smoking. Coat the pan with the vegetable oil, add the mushrooms, salt liberally and stir. Add the black pepper and cook another 5 to 7 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender.
• Add the garlic, ginger and mashed black beans and cook 1 or 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the white wine and reduce the liquid for 1 minute. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter and stir until incorporated. Remove from heat.
• In a stockpot, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat. Add the greens, season generously with salt and pepper and stir.
• When the greens begin to cook down, add the soy sauce and stir. Remove the pot from the heat. Serve the greens with the mushroom-bean mixture and a few dots of Sriracha or hot sauce.
This article appears in July 2013.