Beef in Black Bean Sauce
Beef in Black Bean Sauce is a cornerstone of Cantonese home cooking and a staple of dim sum and takeout menus alike. It is a bold, "punchy" dish that leans heavily into fermented, salty, and savoury flavours, known for its incredible aroma that can fill an entire room.
Cuisines
Cooking Instructions
Cooking: 20 minutes
Notes:
Store-bought black bean sauce can be used if you prefer not to make it from scratch.
Baking soda in the marinade tenderises economic cuts of steak like rump and speeds up browning in the wok.
Make the Black Bean Sauce
Grate the garlic and ginger into a cold wok with vegetable oil. Turn on the heat to bring it to a gentle sizzle for 1 minute. Add the fermented black beans, water, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, and sugar, then simmer gently for 12 to 15 minutes until liquid evaporates and beans become sticky. Stir in the cornflour slurry to thicken into a glossy sauce.
Marinate the Beef
Slice the rump steak on an angle into thin strips. In a bowl, toss the beef with soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, cornflour, and bicarbonate of soda. Mix thoroughly and leave to marinate whilst prepping the vegetables.
Prep Vegetables
Slice the onion, cut the pepper into bite-sized pieces, and chop the spring onions.
Sear the Beef
Heat oil in a wok over high heat until smoking. Add the marinated beef strips and spread them across the hot pan. Leave undisturbed for 2 minutes to sear, then flip and stir-fry until nicely browned.
Stir-fry Vegetables and Sauce
Add the sliced onion to the wok and toss briefly, followed by the pepper pieces. Stir in the homemade black bean sauce, oyster sauce, and a splash of water, tossing until glossy and well combined.
Finish and Serve
Scatter in the chopped spring onions, toss through for 30 seconds, and transfer to a serving plate.
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Ingredients
| Fermented Black Beans | 100g |
| Garlic | 4 cloves |
| Ginger | 15g |
| Shaoxing Wine | 2 tbsp |
| Soy Sauce | 1 tbsp |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp |
| Water | 125ml |
| Cornflour | 1 tsp |
| Vegetable Oil | 1 tbsp |
| Rump Steak | 400g |
| Soy Sauce | 1 tbsp |
| Shaoxing Wine | 1 tbsp |
| Cornflour | 1 tbsp |
| Bicarbonate of Soda | ½ tsp |
| Onion | 1 |
| Pepper | 1 |
| Spring Onions | 2 |
| Oyster Sauce | 1 tbsp |
| Water | 1 tbsp |
| Vegetable Oil | 2 tbsp |
