Single Meal - Black Bean Cashew Snow Pea Beef (豆豉腰果荷蘭豆牛肉, Dau6 Si6 Jiu1 Gwo2 Ho4 Laan4 Dau6 Ngau4 Juk6)

Black bean sauce and beef are a classic combination in Cantonese cooking. Here’s a recipe whose quantity is geared towards one or two servings. Cashews add a different texture to this dish and provides a tasty addition to the dish without them.

Enjoy!

Doubanjiang Lemongrass Fish Ball Chicken (辣豆瓣酱檸檬葉魚蛋鷄, Laat6 Dau6 Faan6 Zoeng3 Ning4 Mung4 Jip6 Jyu4 Daan6 Gai1)

Spicy broad bean paste (Doubanjiang) and lemongrass are the basis for the flavor of this chicken and fish ball dish. The Doubanjiang is first stir fried until it darkens in color and then the chicken is added to the mixture. This is the last step after all the other ingredients have been stir fried, which is backwards from the usual order of stir frying the chicken first in most other dishes. The dish can be made even spicier by adding fresh red chili peppers.

Enjoy!

Black Bean Chili Oil Asparagus Shabu Shabu Pork Stir Fry (黑豆辣椒油蘆筍炒涮涮锅豬肉, Hak1 Dau6 Laat6 Ziu1 Jau4 Lou4 Seon2 Caau2 Saan3 Saan3 Wo1 Zyu1 Juk6)

Here’s another stir fry dish using Shabu Shabu pork, which is thinly sliced pork and can be found at your local Japanese or Asian market. You can always substitute pork loin or butt cut into thin 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces if you’re unable to obtain Shabu Shabu pork. This dish is slightly spicy and is great to make when asparagus is in season.

Enjoy!

Lemon Black Bean Sauce Green String Bean Fish Tofu Chicken (檸豆豉青豆角魚豆腐鷄, Ning4 Dau6 Si6 Ceng1 Dau6 Gok3 Jyu4 Dau6 Fu6 Gai1)

Lemon and black bean sauce is a tasty combination and is a nice change from just using black bean sauce in a stir fry dish. This combination has great memories for me since it was used in one of the first dishes I ever learned how to make, which resulted in this recipe: Steamed Lemon Chicken and Shrimp with Black Bean Sauce (豆豉檸蒸蝦鷄, Dau⁶ Si⁶ Ning⁴ Zing¹ Haa¹ Gai¹). I used this flavor combination with another combination commonly used in Chinese cooking – meat and seafood - which in this case is chicken and fish tofu. Fish tofu can be found (usually frozen) at your local Asian market. Regular (firm) tofu can be substituted if you’re not able to obtain fish tofu. Finally if you’re pressed for time, you can always use a prepared black bean sauce instead of using salted black beans, my favorite being the Lee Kum Kee brand Black Bean Garlic Sauce.

Enjoy!

Black Bean Chili Oil Imitation Lobster Ball Shabu Shabu Beef Stir Fry (黑豆辣椒油龍蝦丸炒涮涮锅牛肉, Hak1 Dau6 Laat6 Ziu1 Jau4 Lung4 Haa1 Jyun4 Caau2 Saan3 Saan3 Wo1 Ngau4 Juk6)

Think of this dish as a Chinese stir fry version of surf and turf. For those not native to North America, surf and turf refers to lobster (surf) and steak (turf), usually broiled or barbequed, served together in one dish, usually without vegetables. As is common in the USA, the lobster and steak are the main ingredients and are large in quantity. The dish is usually the most expensive seafood and steak combination dish on a restaurant’s menu.

So my stir fry version uses imitation lobster balls and Shabu Shabu beef. Imitation lobster balls can be purchased at your local Asian market and do not contain any lobster in them (they’re colored to make them look like lobster). As far as I know, you cannot purchase true lobster balls, since they would be prohibitively expensive. Shabu Shabu beef is thinly sliced and can usually be purchased at your local Japanese or Asian market. Depending upon the cut of meat used, the price can vary widely. The seafood and meat combination is commonly used in Chinese dishes, so this recipe uses those ingredients to give an Asian take on a favorite American dish.

Enjoy!

Black Bean Chili Oil Ground Turkey with Zucchini (黑豆辣椒油意大利青瓜火雞, Hak1 Dau6 Laat6 Ziu1 Jau4 Ji3 Daai6 Lei6 Ceng1 Gwaa1 Fo2 Gai1)

This dish is usually made with ground pork, but ground turkey makes a good substitute when it’s handy. The dish is really simple to make and if you’re pressed for time, marinating the ground turkey can be omitted. This is a very inexpensive dish to make, since it’s basically ground meat with vegetables in a (spicy) sauce, and it’s one of the dishes I grew up eating. You can use any ground meat and any vegetable that’s in season to make variations of this recipe. I added Shiitake mushrooms, but the mushrooms can also be omitted if desired.

Enjoy!

Black Bean Chili Oil Shredded Spice Tofu Asparagus Chicken (黑豆辣椒油五香豆腐絲蘆筍鷄, Hak1 Dau6 Laat6 Ziu1 Jau4 Ng5 Hoeng1 Dau6 Fu6 Si1 Lou4 Seon2 Gai1)

Shredded spice tofu adds texture to this dish and provides needed contrast to the softer chicken. The tofu is formed into long noodle-like pieces that must be cut smaller in order to eat. I think the shredded spice tofu also provides a great visual element to the dish. Shredded tofu can be purchased in a package at your local Asian market. If shredded tofu is not available, marinated five spice tofu (which comes in blocks and must be cut into pieces) can be substituted. I used a spicy black bean chili oil to give the dish some spiciness, but a black bean garlic sauce can be substituted if spiciness is not desired.

Enjoy!

Black Bean Garlic Sauce Poblano Chili Chicken (蒜蓉豆豉醬椒鷄, Syun3 Jung4 Dau6 Si6 Zoeng3 Ziu1 Gai1)

Poblano chilies (Capsicum annuum) are a mild chili pepper originating in the state of Puebla, Mexico. When dried, it’s called ancho chili. The chilies have a dark green color that look great in any dish. So rather than using green bell peppers, I substituted Poblano chilies, which gave the dish a very mild spiciness. I used a bottled black bean sauce, but you can easily make your own.

Enjoy!

Doubanjiang Pepper Book Tripe (郫縣豆瓣酱椒牛百葉, Pei4 Jyun6 Dau6 Faan6 Zoeng3 Ziu1 Ngau4 Baak3 Jip6)

This recipe is very similar to the previously posted beef book tripe recipe: Doubanjiang Bell Pepper Tripe (郫縣豆瓣酱青椒牛百葉, Pei⁴ Jyun⁶ Dau⁶ Faan⁶ Zoeng³ Ceng¹ Ziu¹ Ngau⁴ Baak³ Jip⁶). This recipe uses Poblano chilies, instead of green bell peppers, to give the dish a slightly spicier taste. Poblano chili’s green color is deeper than the bell peppers, so the color gives the dish more contrast against the red of the Doubanjiang. Beef book tripe is another of the cow’s stomachs that are readily available at your local Asian market. While the honeycomb tripe has a honeycomb pattern on one side, the book tripe resembles a book with open pages. The book tripe is commonly served as a Chinese Dim Sum dish and has a crunchier texture than the honeycomb.

Enjoy!

Black Bean Chili Oil Lamb with Squid (黑豆辣椒油魷魚羊肉, Hak1 Dau6 Laat6 Ziu1 Jau4 Jau4 Jyu4 Joeng4 Juk6)

Here’s another lamb stir fry dish using meat from the lamb loin chop. This recipe uses black bean chili oil and cooked squid. Cooked squid is occasionally available at my local Asian market, so I buy it whenever I see it. Fresh or frozen squid can be substituted (you’ll have to clean the fresh squid yourself) if cooked squid is not available. The pairing of meat and seafood is a classic Chinese dish combination.

More common (and cheaper) cuts of lamb can be substituted, such as lamb leg or shoulder. Lamb loin chops have two distinct pieces of meat separated by a bone as in a lamb T-bone steak. The larger piece of meat is the loin and the smaller is the tenderloin. The two pieces of meat need to be removed from the bone, and then the loin and tenderloin pieces cut thinly using a very sharp knife. Meat from the lamb loin chop is very tender and even though there’s more work involved to prepare the meat for this dish, it’s worth the effort to make this dish if you can get the lamb loin chops for a decent price, otherwise use meat from the lamb leg or shoulder. You’ll need to purchase about 1½ lb. (750 g.) of lamb loin chops to get about ¾ lb. (375 g.) of meat after trimming.

Enjoy!

Steamed Chili Black Bean Bitter Melon Pork Baby Back Ribs (紅番椒豆豉苦瓜蒸排骨, Hung4 Faan1 Ziu1 Dau6 Si6 Fu2 Gwaa1 Zing1 Paai4 Gwat1)

Braised pork spareribs and bitter melon with black bean sauce is a classic Cantonese dish. I previously published a recipe using pork short ribs (similar to pork ribs cut into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces, but with meat above the bone): Braised Pork Short Ribs with Bitter Melon (燴苦瓜豬排骨, Wui⁶ Fu² Gwaa¹ Zyu¹ Paai⁴ Gwat¹). The pork ribs are marinated beforehand, but this certainly does not have to be done if you prepare this dish at the last minute. For this recipe, I steam the ingredients, which decreases the cooking time and gives the dish another taste profile. The only tricky part to making this dish is that you can’t steam all the ingredients together for the same amount of time, otherwise the bitter melon becomes mushy. So the bitter melon is added to the dish in the steamer for the last 5 minutes of cooking to keep the bitter melon’s texture.

Enjoy!

Chili Black Bean Sauce Chicken and Imitation Lobster Balls (辣椒豆豉龍蝦丸鷄, Laat6 Ziu1 Dau6 Si6 Lung4 Haa1 Jyun4 Gai1)

Imitation lobster balls are available at your local Asian market either refrigerated or frozen. One of the local markets that I frequent, had some already thawed in the refrigerated section in the fish section. Imitation lobster balls are really fish balls with red bits (to resemble lobster) and lobster flavor added, so any fish or shrimp ball can be substituted if lobster balls are not available. If real lobster were used, this dish would be very luxurious and very expensive to make! The lobster balls are paired with chicken to make a classic seafood and meat flavor combination dish.

Enjoy!

Chili Black Bean Salted Radish Long Bean Chicken (辣椒豆豉菜脯豆角鷄, Laat6 Ziu1 Dau6 Si6 Coi3 Pou2 Dau6 Gok3 Gai1)

Salted radish is added to the dish to give a crunchy and slightly sweet addition to a standard chicken stir fry with long beans. Depending upon where the salted radish is packaged (usually China or Thailand) and the manufacturer, the salted radish saltiness ranges from minimal to very salty. I used a brand from China that has minimal saltiness and has a slight sweet flavor to it. I used a prepared black bean sauce with chili, but a less spicy brand can be substituted or you can make the sauce from scratch.

Enjoy!

Black Bean Japanese Chili Shabu Shabu Beef (豆豉日本指天椒炒涮涮锅牛肉, Dau6 Si6 Jat6 Bun2 Zi2 Tin1 Ziu1 Caau2 Saan3 Saan3 Wo1 Ngau4 Juk6)

This recipe was updated on 30 Aug 2016. The Cantonese translation for Shabu Shabu was added to the title.

Here’s another recipe using thinly sliced beef, this time using whole dried Japanese chilies, marinated bean curd, brown mushrooms, and long beans. The previous recipe: Black Bean Chili Oil Green String Bean Shabu Shabu Beef Stir Fry (黑豆辣椒油青豆角炒涮涮锅牛肉, Hak¹ Dau⁶ Laat⁶ Ziu¹ Jau⁴ Ceng¹ Dau⁶ Gok³ Caau² Saan³ Saan³ Wo¹ Ngau⁴ Juk⁶) used black bean chili oil for the sauce. The Japanese chilies give this dish more flavor than heat, but if you really like very hot dishes, regular whole dried red peppers from your local Asian market can be substituted. Thinly sliced meat is used for a Japanese dish called Shabu Shabu. The raw meat is dipped into a stock with chopsticks, moved around quickly in the stock to cook, and then dipped into a sauce before eating. The meat can be found at your local Japanese or Asian market. For this recipe, thinly sliced beef is stir fried with other ingredients rather than using it for Shabu Shabu.

Enjoy!

Clay Pot Black Bean Sauce Kurobuta Pork Spareribs (砂煲豆豉豬排骨, Saa1 Bou1 Dau6 Si6 Zyu1 Paai4 Gwat1)

Here’s another clay pot recipe using pork spareribs. The first recipe was Clay Pot Basil Pork Sparerib and Fish Ball (砂煲紫蘇魚蛋豬排骨, Saa¹ Bou¹ Zi² Sou¹ Jyu⁴ Daan⁶ Zyu¹ Paai⁴ Gwat¹). This time the recipe uses Kurobuta (aka Berkshire) pork, which is a heritage breed with more flavor. Regular pork spareribs can be used if Kurobuta is not available at your local Asian market. Clay pots need to be prepared before using for the first time to prevent cracking. I used this website for advice: Clay Pot Use and Maintenance Tips at Chinese Soup Pot. Since the pork spareribs take some time to cook and to cook the dish all at once, the other ingredients used were chosen to hold up to the cooking time (the green onions are added after cooking is complete).

The pork spareribs are placed into the clay pot first after being stir fried. Since the pork spareribs are in contact with the clay pot during cooking, the meat gets an added flavorful crust that cannot be obtained by just stir frying. I’ve seen some recipes where the browning is done in the clay pot, rather than a wok, but using high heat with a clay pot can crack it, so I used the wok for browning. Another advantage of using a clay pot is that it also serves as the serving dish and keeps the contents hot.

Enjoy!

Doubanjiang Bitter Melon Chicken (辣豆瓣酱苦瓜鷄, Laat6 Dau6 Faan6 Zoeng3 Fu2 Gwaa1 Gai1)

Spicy broad bean paste (Doubanjiang) is used to make a variation of a common Cantonese dish: Chicken with bitter melon. For some reason I used more liquid than usual to make the sauce for this dish (as reflected in the picture above), which is usually dry (i.e. the sauce clings to the ingredients). I’ve written the recipe to produce a “dry” sauce, but feel free to add more liquid if more sauce is desired.

Enjoy!

Black Bean Chili Oil Snow Pea Lamb Chow Mein (黑豆辣椒油荷蘭豆羊扒炒麵, Hak1 Dau6 Laat6 Ziu1 Jau4 Ho4 Laan4 Dau6 Joeng4 Paa4 Caau2 Min6)

Here’s another lamb loin chop meat recipe, this time using noodles. The dish is slightly spicy through the use of Laoganma brand’s Black Bean Chili Oil. As in the previous lamb loin chop meat recipe, Black Bean Chili Oil Lamb with Bean Curd Sticks (黑豆辣椒油腐竹羊肉, Hak¹ Dau⁶ Laat⁶ Ziu¹ Jau⁴ Fu⁶ Zuk¹ Joeng⁴ Juk⁶), more common (and cheaper) cuts of lamb can be substituted, such as lamb leg or shoulder cut into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces. Lamb loin chops have two distinct pieces of meat separated by a bone as in a beef T-bone steak. The larger piece of meat is the loin and the smaller is the tenderloin. The two pieces of meat need to be removed from the bone, and then the loin and tenderloin pieces cut thinly using a very sharp knife.

Enjoy!

Black Bean Chili Oil Chinese Broccoli Chicken with Fried Tofu (黑豆辣椒油芥蘭油炸豆腐鷄, Hak1 Dau6 Laat6 Ziu1 Jau4 Gaai3 Laan4 Jau4 Zaa3 Dau6 Fu6 Gai1)

I’ve been using Laoganma’s brand of black bean chili sauce in many of my recipes. I went back and looked at the English translation for the ingredient and realized a more accurate translation would be black bean chili oil. So starting with this recipe, I’m using the more accurate translation in the recipe title when using the ingredient.

This is an easy to make chicken and Chinese broccoli dish, which is always a great taste combination. Red bell pepper strips are added for color and all you have to do is buy a package of fried tofu to complete the dish. Black bean garlic sauce can be substituted (Lee Kum Kee is the brand I recommend) if you don’t want to make the dish (mildly) spicy.

Enjoy!

Basil Black Bean Chili Sauce Chicken Cabbage Chow Mein (黑豆辣椒紫蘇青椰菜鷄炒麵, Hak1 Dau6 Laat6 Ziu1 Zi2 Sou1 Ceng1 Je4 Coi3 Gai1 Caau2 Min6)

Here’s another variation of the Chicken Cabbage Chow Mein (青椰菜鷄炒麵, Ceng¹ Je⁴ Coi³ Gai¹ Caau² Min⁶) recipe, with basil and slightly spicier sauce. I’ve been adding cabbage to my chow mein recipes lately, probably because a nearby Chinese noodle restaurant does the same to their dishes. The cabbage adds a nice crunch to the recipe and a good textural contrast to the soft noodles. Depending upon the size of the cabbage, two to four leaves are needed for the dish. Other than the added cabbage, the rest of the ingredients used in this recipe are fairly common in chicken chow mein. This is a “dry” noodle dish and not a dish with a lot of “wet” sauce.

Enjoy!

Black Bean Chili Sauce Sugar Snap Pea Chicken (黑豆辣椒蜜豆鷄, Hak1 Dau6 Laat6 Ziu1 Mat6 Dau6 Gai1)

Black bean sauce and chicken are one of my favorite flavor combinations. In this case I used a prepared black bean sauce with chili oil made by Laoganma. If you don’t want a spicy dish, I would substitute another prepared sauce, Black Bean Garlic Sauce, made by Lee Kum Kee. My other favorite flavor combination with chicken is mushrooms. Straw mushrooms were the choice for this dish, but it could have easily been Shiitake mushrooms. The previous published Black Bean Chili Sauce Snow Pea Chicken (黑豆辣椒荷蘭豆鷄, Hak¹ Dau⁶ Laat⁶ Ziu¹ Ho⁴ Laan⁴ Dau⁶ Gai¹) recipe is very similar to this dish, and is just as tasty.

Enjoy!