Easy tender pork slices stir-fried with fermented black bean sauce.
I am testing my own fermented black beans in recent days and the bad news is I have failed at the first batch. The beans are not completely fermented. Although I was quite frustrated by the result, still, I love fermented black bean sauce. In China, we get a very popular dish named “盐煎肉”literally means “salt sautéed pork”, as a sister dish to twice cooked pork is extremely popular in Sichuan province. We use sliced pork ham and fry with peppers. That one is dry and chewy with the method of dry-frying or dry sautéing (干煎).
This is another new option for those who do not like fat meat. Instead, pork butt or pork tenderloin can be used. With a juice marinating and the help of the starch shell, your pork can be tender and full of flavor.
Cook’s Note
To make the pork tender, we have two important steps.
- Add enough liquid to make the pork slices juicy themselves. So grasping (or messaging mixing) is the key step. We need to make the liquid completely absorbed.
- Use cornstarch to form a protecting shell to prevent pork slices from loosing the liquid.
Ingredients
- 150g (around 4.5 ounces) pork butt or tenderloin, sliced
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tbsp. cooking wine
- 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
- 3 tbsp. water or chicken stock
- 1/4 tsp. white pepper
- 1 tsp. cornstarch
- 1 tsp. sesame oil
- cooking oil as needed
- 1 and 1/2 tbsp. black bean sauce
- 1 tsp. dark soy sauce
- a very small pinch of salt if needed
- 4 scallions, cut into small sections
- 3 fresh red chili peppers, cut into small sections
- 2 fresh green chili peppers, cut into small sections
- 1 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp. minced ginger
Steps
Thinly slice the pork. Add salt, cooking wine, light soy sauce, water (or chicken stock) and white pepper. Grasp (message) the pork slice for 2-3 minutes until all the juice is well absorbed. Set aside for 10 minutes. Then just before frying, add cornstarch and mix well firstly. At last, add sesame oil and mix well. Cold oil can prevent the pork slices from sticky to your wok bottom.
Heat your wok or pan firstly. Add cooking oil to form a 2-3 cm high layer (do not be scared by the oil amount, we do not eat them all). Spread the pork sliced in. Let them stay for 5 to 10 seconds and then quickly fry them until turns pale. Transfer out immediately.
Remove the extra oil and save them for vegetable stir fries. Keep around 1 tablespoon of oil and fry garlic, ginger and scallion until aromatic. Place fresh pepper sections in to fry for 1 minute or until slightly softened. Return pork sliced in, add dark soy sauce and black beans sauce. Mix well and move out immediately. Be quick in this process and it is better to finish this within 30 seconds.
A beautiful and delicious stir fry is made within minutes.
Pork Stir Fry with Black Bean Sauce
Ingredients
- 150 g around 4.5 ounces pork butt or tenderloin, sliced
Marinating
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tbsp. cooking wine
- 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
- 3 tbsp. water or chicken stock
- 1/4 tsp. white pepper
- 1 tsp. cornstarch
- 1 tsp. sesame oil
stir-frying
- cooking oil as needed
- 1 garlic cloves ,minced
- 1 tsp. minced ginger
- 4 scallions ,cut into small sections
- 1 black bean sauce or 1 tbsp. chopped black beans
- 1 tsp. dark soy sauce
- 3 fresh red chili peppers ,cut into small sections
- 2 fresh green chili peppers ,cut into small sections
- a very small pinch of salt if needed
Instructions
- Thinly slice the pork. Add salt, cooking wine, light soy sauce, water (or chicken stock) and white pepper. Message the pork slice for 2-3 minutes until all the juice is well absorbed. Set aside for 10 minutes.
- Add cornstarch and message again. Make sure all the slices are well coated with starch. At last, add 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, mix well too.
- Heat your wok or pan firstly. Add cooking oil to form a 2-3 cm high layer (do not be scared by the oil amount, we do not eat them all). Spread the pork sliced in. Let them stay for 5 to 10 seconds and then quickly fry them until turns pale. Transfer out immediately.
- Remove the extra oil and save them for vegetable stir fries. Keep around 1 tablespoon of oil and fry garlic, ginger and scallion until aromatic. Place fresh pepper sections in to fry for 1 minute or until slightly softened. Return pork sliced in, add dark soy sauce and black beans sauce. Mix well and see if any extra salt is needed. Move out immediately after mixed. Be quick in this process and it is better to finish this within 30 seconds.
Nutrition
Hi Elaine,
what kind of peppers are you using there? The “default” version I get here are the sweet- or bell peppers. I’m also able to get some rather mild versions which are a little bit different in shape and less “sweet” but also rather large. But when looking at your photos that doesn’t seem to match (Thankfully your hands are in the picture so I can get a rough estimate). Peppers of that size I can get would typically fall in the more spicy category and I noticed you didn’t remove the seeds inside which I’d typically do with the larger ones.
Could you please shed some light on this?
I use our local long peppers. They are quite long and spicy, but quite aromatic. Since they are very thin, there are little seeds inside.
I’m sure we (in the UK) call them chilli peppers, or just chillies.
Your recipe is so impressive. I love it so much! I make a website myself to share my recipe. http://www.asianfoodiy.com. Maybe you wanna have a look. 🙂
Thanks Chandler for your kind comment. Your site is quite good too, with so many yummy dishes.
I have never heard the term grasping in the context of recipes. Could you please explain what you mean when you say “Grasp the pork slice”?
Hi Peter,
If you see how Chinese chef marinating the meat, you will understand why I use grasping. By grasping the meat continuously, the meat slices can absorb the flavors and marinating sauce better and keep them longer.
I first learned this with Korean recipes. In European cooking you just “drown” the meat in the marinade. As you see from the recipe the amount of marinade is much less here. The key is to softly massage each piece of meat with your fingers to make sure it is evenly covered by the marinade and they don’t stick together. You’ll have to use your fingers as you won’t achieve this by just stirring with a spoon, fork or chopsticks. That’s why Elaine used the term grasping.
That’s the best explain I have read. Thanks Andreas. I will add your explanation in the recipe.
Thank you for this, immensely helpful!
What peppers are you using in this recipe…are they hot? I prefer spicy food and the only peppers I dislike are bell peppers.
Thanks
Yes, I use Chinese long chili peppers which have a middle level of spiciness.
I really love this pork black,bean stir try I first had at a Asian market day. I’m not a chilli person so never put
them in mine.. I do put roasted capsicum in though. I have made my own black bean sauce. But to tell the truth it’s never as good as the Asian black bean sauce of the self at my super market. But hey I will keep trying making it. Thanks for all your recipes. Peter in New Zealand
Good luck with fermenting the black beans yourself! I have found the starter and will now try to make doubanjian thanks to you, as well as sake and miso paste!
Thank you Elaine!
Thanks Sophie,
I was quite frustrated at the process. I will try again when the temperature is slightly down.
Making doubanjiang is slightly easier than dried dou-chi. We usually have watery dou-chi, which has a very similar fermentation with doubanjiang. That version is simpler and easier to control. Never mind, I will try once and once again until I master the skill and keys.
Hi Elaine,
Korean have a black bean sauce that is often used to make black bean noodle or Jjajangmyeon.
Is it the same black bean sauce?
Can I use chicken for this recipe?
Thanks
No, Jjajangmyeon is not the same as Chinese black bean sauce, it’s not even made from the same ingredients. Look for Douchi sauce or use Elaine’s recipe https://www.chinasichuanfood.com/black-bean-sauce/.
Hi Elaine, hope you are well, in your pork and black bean sauce recipe you say add the black bean sauce but surely you mean chopped or whole fermented black beans which are in my humble opinion superior to any canned or jar of sauce, i think this is the scourge of some Chinese takeaways in the UK. I enjoy your site and travel to China through work but not as often as i wish carry on with the great work. Peter.
Hi Peter,
I am sorry that I did not explain myself clear. The black bean sauce here actually is my homemade black bean sauce made from whole fermented beans. Check here for more information.
I purchased black bean sauce in a bottle from our local Asian grocery store (Lee kum Lee brand). Not sure how much to add?
Kara,
Use only 1 tablespoon only. Store bought sauce usually are salty.
Thank you from Vancouver, Canada! I have made many pork stir-fry’s, but this one is definitely the most delicious one I’ve made. The white pepper is an excellent addition.
Thanks Maureen for this wonderful feedback. Happy to know it turns out so good. Well done!