Some people asked how come I always seem to be making noodles with Korean black bean sauce but not with Chinese black bean sauce.
Well.... I do know how to make Chinese version... it's just that I've been into Korean flavor for a while... haha
Speaking about black bean sauce, Chinese was the first to invent the sauce; Korean adapted Chinese recipe to their taste, which is sweeter and includes vegetables (such as onion and zucchini) commonly used in Korean cuisine.
Chinese black bean sauce is based in 2 types of pastes: Sweet Noodle Sauce and Soy Bean Paste in about 5:2 to 5:2 ratio... depends on the brands of pastes you're using.
(I used the famous "MingTeh" Soy Bean Paste imported from Taiwan. Most people like the Spicy one but I was afraid that it's too spicy for me).
Types and amounts of ingredients can vary too...
This time I used:
!.5 pounds lean ground pork
1 medium carrot, peeled.
1 package (225g) thick brown Soy bean curd (4 squares).
5 large dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked in warm water.
2 cups (frozen) Fresh Soy Beans (Mao-Doh), rinsed.
5 gloves of garlic
(I forgot to put bamboo shoots this time.. ><)
Soy sauce
Rice wine
Vegetable cooking oil (2-3 tbsp)
2 tbsp Tahini (or peanut butter) --- optional
water
Potato Starch
1. Marinate ground pork with some soy sauce and rice wine.
2. Mince garlic and dice soy bean curd.
3. Chop carrot, mushrooms in small pieces.
4. Heat up some vegetable oil in the wok over medium heat.
5. Quickly saute minced garlic for about 20 seconds before adding carrots, soy bean curds, mushrooms, and fresh soy beans.
6. Add 1 tbsp soy sauce and saute over medium high heat for about 5 minutes.
7. Put in ground pork. Mix evenly. Saute for a few minutes till the pinkness of raw meat fades.
8. Stir in Sweet Noodle Sauce (I used 200g can). Then add Soy Bean Paste spoon by spoon. Taste before adding more soy bean paste because it is very salty.
9. Add at least 2 cups water (I used boiled hot water since I wanted to save cooking time by not bringing the temperature down too much). Stir well and taste. Add more soy bean paste if it tastes too light, more water if it's too salty until a perfect balance of taste is reached.
10. Add Tahini sauce or peanut butter. Mix well and let it cook with lid covered for a few minutes.
11. When it tastes like well cooked. Dissolve some (about 1/3 cup) potato starch in cold water then mix the it into the sauce. Stir well and the sauce should start thickening.
12. Cook for a few more minutes then turn off the heat and let sit on the warm stove.
13. Cook oriental white noodles in boiling water till done. Serve with the Black Bean Sauce and shredded cucumber.
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