Easy beef in black bean sauce recipe, made with tender beef slices, bell peppers, and delicious black bean sauce. One of the most popular Chinese stir-fry beef recipes that come together in no time!
We can find this type of stir fry beef dish in most Chinese restaurants and takeaways. Every restaurant and family has its own version of it. In this recipe, I’ll share my homemade version of beef in black bean sauce with simple steps! Tastes just like you’ve had at your favourite Chinese restaurant!
Chinese stir fry dishes are one of the most loved and easiest to make at home. We love beef with black bean sauce because it is so simple and needs minimum ingredients. Perfect for busy weeknight dinners or fakeaway dinners. Simply pair it with a bowl of jasmine rice, egg fried rice, or noodles.
If you haven't tried black bean beef stir fry, it is savoury, umami, and a bit salty in taste. This recipe doesn't come with lots of sauce but it is so tasty and addictive. I've shared all our simple tips on how to create your own. So much easier than you could have ever imagined.
If you love black bean sauce you will definitely like our Chicken in Black Bean Sauce recipe.
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Ingredients we need
- Beef: We usually use ribeye, rump, or sirloin steak for this recipe. Chuck or flank steak goes well too. Make sure the tenderize the meat with corn starch, baking soda, Shao Xing wine, sugar, and soy sauce.
- Baking soda & corn starch: Adding baking soda and corn starch to the beef keeps the meat moist and tender. Corn starch creates a thin coating layer to the beef slices that prevent them to get dried easily. It's a Chinese cooking secret of creating super tender beef.
I have mentioned it in my previous beef recipes too. Maybe you might have already used this method.
- Shao Xing wine: Chinese cooking rice wine that can remove the unpleasant odor of meat and bring more flavour to the stir-fry.
- Black Bean: Black bean sauce is the key ingredient for this recipe. Use salted fermanted black soybeans, also known as Douchi/touchi in Chinese. It has a salty, savoury, umami taste. Dried fermanted black beans comes in packets or comes in sauce. If you wish you use black bean garlic sauce is available in Lee Kum Kee, Amoy, Wing Yip brands, etc. Whole black beans can buy at Chinese or Oriental grocery stores or Amazon online.
- Stir Fry Sauce: is simply made with a mixture of oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, corn starch, Shao Xing wine and water.
- Vegetables: Bell peppers and onions are ideal for this recipe. You can customize with your favourite stir fry vegetables. Carrot, mangetout, broccoli, babycorn, or mushroom goes well too.
How to make beef in black bean sauce
- First marinade the beef slices with soy sauce, Shao Xing wine, baking soda, corn starch, sugar and light soy sauce.
- Mix all the stir fry sauce in a bowl and set it aside. Roughly chop the black bean seeds.
- In a large wok/pan, drizzle oil, sear the beef for 2-3 minutes then turn sides and continue stir fry for anther 2-3 minutes.
- Follow with onions and bell pepper. Toss well and cook for about 1-2 minutes, then remove from pan and set it aside.
- In the remaining wok/pan drizzle a bit more oil. Saute the garlic for 1 minute with medium heat. Next add ginger, black bean, and stir fry for another 1-2 minutes.
- Pour the sauce mixture and wait until the sauce become to get thicken. Return the beef and vegetables into the pan and combine well with the sauce. Stir for another 1-2 minutes and transfer to serving plate.
Note: If you use ready-made black bean sauce instead of black bean seeds, you can add 1 tablespoon of sauce.
Frequently asked questions
There is no exact same substitute for fermented Chinese black beans, which have a unique salty, savoury, umami flavour. But you can add black bean garlic sauce. ( Available in Lee Kum Kee, Amoy, Wing Yip brands, etc. )
Chinese black bean sauce consists of fermented black beans, ginger, garlic, and soy sauce. You can add oyster sauce, sugar, or other ingredients according to your preference.
More delicious Chinese beef recipes:
Equipment
You don't need a special wok for this recipe. Non-stick wok/pan works well.
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Easy Beef In Black Bean Recipe
Ingredients
- 300 g Beef steak about 10.5 oz ( ribeye, sirloin, rump, chuck, etc. ) cut into thin slices
- ½ Green pepper bell pepper/capsicum ( cut in small squares )
- ½ Red pepper bell pepper/capsicum ( cut in small squares )
- 1 Onion cut in small cubes
- 1½ tbsp Garlic finely chopped
- 1 tsp Ginger paste or finley grated
- 1 tbsp Black bean fermented black beans or black bean sauce ( details in note )
- 2 tbsp Oil vegetable, sunflower, canola, or neutral flavour oil
Marinade
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Corn starch
- ½ tsp Baking soda
- 1 tbsp Light soy sauce or regular soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Shao Xing wine optional ( details in note )
Stir Fry Sauce
- 3 tbsp Oyster sauce
- 1 tsp Dark soy sauce
- 3 tbsp Water
- ½ tsp Corn starch
- 2 tsp Shao Xing Wine
- 2 tsp Sugar
Instructions
- Cut the beef steak into thin slices against the grain. Marinate the beef with soy sauce, sugar, Shao Xing wine, baking soda and corn starch. Mix well and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Mix all the stir fry sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set it aside. Roughly chop the black beans or you can add in whole.
- Heat the wok/pan over medium-high heat, drizzle oil, and add the marinated beef slices. Flatted the beef and let it sear for 2-3 minutes then turn sides and stir fry for another 2-3 minutes. Next, add the onion dices and stir fry for 1 minute. Follow with the bell peppers and stir for few seconds. Remove from pan and set it aside.
- In the remaining pan, drizzle a bit more oil. Saute the chopped garlic with medium heat for 1 minute, then follow with the ginger and stir for few seconds. Add the black beans stir fry for 1-2 minutes. Then pour the sauce mixture, stir unil the sauce start to get thick.
- Add the fried beef, onions and peppers in. Bring to heat over medium-high heat. Toss well to combine everything evenly for 1-2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and transfer to serving plate. Serve while hot with plain rice, egg fried rice or noodles.
Notes
- Black Beans - Fermented Chinese black soybeans, it has salty, savoury, umami flavour. You can substitute with black bean garlic sauce for this recipe.
- Shao Xing Wine - Chinese cooking rice wine can be substituted with dry sherry or Japanese mirin. If you want to make non-alcohol version, you can omit it.
Bee says
Beautiful recipe. Thank you
Ellen Tracey says
Sounds great. But is very high in salt. A much lower salt version would be appreciated.
Khin says
Hi Ellen, you can reduce the soy sauces or swap it with low-sodium soy sauces. Hope this helps.
Sam says
Lovely recipe. I cook regularly now
Khin says
So glad that you enjoyed it, Sam. Thanks for sharing feedback.
Mike says
fantastic recipe, thanks!
Eamon says
This was outstanding, followed the recipe exactly and it turned our fantastic. Only thing I might mention is that in the method it seems like you should throw the black beans into the sauce when you are mixing the sauce together, only further down does it say you should fry them with the garlic and ginger - I sieved them our of the sauce and added later as instructed. Superb **********+ 😉
Khin says
So glad that you enjoyed it, Eamon! Thanks for trying out and sharing feedback.
Jarek says
Is the Shao Xing the same as Tajade Shaohsing rice wine offered by Tesco in the UK?
Khin says
Hi Jarek, you can use Taijade Shaoxing wine. It's the same cooking wine.
Bbcook says
Do you need to soak the black beans first.
Khin says
You do not need to soak the black bean. Thank you so much Beck.
May says
What can i use instead of wine?
Thanks
Khin says
Hi may, you can use dry sherry, Japanese mirin cooking wine instead of Chinese Shao Xing wine.
Jonathan Yavatra says
Look so good Khin. Thanks for always adding the notes and tips. They’re very useful!
Khin says
I am so glad that you read my recipe notes. Thank you so much for taking the time and sharing feedback.