RECIPE: Stir-fry REC: Shrimp w/ Black Bean Sauce

RECIPE:

michael-in-phoenix

Well-known member
Shrimp w/ Black Bean Sauce

12 medium-size dried Chinese black mushrooms or dried shiitake mushrooms (about 1 ounce)

1 1/2 cups very hot water

1 pound large (20-28/lb) uncooked shrimp, peeled, deveined

1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)

2 tablespoons cornstarch, separated

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

3 - 4 tablespoons salted black beans (to taste)

3 tablespoons minced garlic

3 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger

1 tablespoon minced seeded red or green Thai chili (or serrano or jalapeño)

3 green onions, finely chopped

1 small red bell pepper, cut in 1/2" dice

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons peanut oil

Soak mushrooms (weighted down with a small plate) in 1 1/2 cups hot water in medium bowl until softened, about 20 minutes. Drain mushrooms, reserving 1 cup soaking liquid. Squeeze out excess moisture. Cut off tough stems and discard. Slice caps thin. Toss mushrooms, shrimp, sherry and 1 tablespoon cornstarch together in medium bowl to coat evenly. Let stand 15 minutes.

Whisk 1 cup reserved mushroom soaking liquid, oyster sauce, remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch and sugar in small bowl until cornstarch dissolves. Rinse black beans in a small sieve to remove excess salt. Drain beans and chop finely. Combine beans in small bowl with garlic, ginger, chili and 2/3 of green onions.

Heat 1/4 cup oil in wok or heavy large skillet over high heat. Add shrimp mixture and stir-fry until shrimp curl and turn pink, about 2 minutes. Pour content of wok into sieve to drain shrimp.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons peanut oil in same wok over high heat. Stir-fry black bean mixture and red bell pepper until fragrant, about 1 minute. Return shrimp mixture to wok. Stir-fry to heat through. Stir mushroom liquid mixture and add to wok. Cook until sauce thickens and begins to boil, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Serve over white rice and garnish with remaining green onions.

Notes:

I think I originally got this recipe from Epi, but it's gone through some changes.

You can use boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs with equal delight.

I think the use of the mushroom soaking liquid is the key to the depth of flavor. Make sure there isn't any grit in the cup of liquid you use in the stir-fry!

I like a lot of garlic, ginger and black beans in this recipe. If you don't, you can adjust accordingly.

I often add one medium diced green bell pepper as well. I love the taste of green bell pepper beef, stir-fried with black beans. This recipe can easily work with beef. Serve this over crispy chow mein noodles (NOT the ones that come in a can!) and you have one of my very favorite meals. (I buy soft chow mein noodles and drop them in boiling water for a couple of minutes. Then drain and fry them crisp in a deep fry and then drain on paper towels).

Enjoy!

Michael

 
Looks great, Michael! That is a powerful amount of garlic. You'll be vampire free for a month.

Strain the mushroom liquid through either a coffee filter or white paper towel.

 
Michael, does the label read salted black beans? What brand? Last time I looked, it was confusing

because there were many different products. I think I remember fermented beans and bean sauce among others. Could you tell me exactly what I'm looking for? Perhaps this time I won't leave empty handed. This recipe with your changes looks really good.

 
They are called salted black beans or fermented black beans. Here's what they look like:

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t159/Storehouse78/fermentedblackbeans.jpg

And they come in a pouch:

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t159/Storehouse78/pouch2.jpg

I like Pearl River Bridge brand, but I've used others with success.

I LOVE the taste of black beans, but they can be strong and salty. Sometimes I rinse them in a small sieve under running water for a few seconds to get the excess salt off. Sometimes I don't. Some recipes instruct you to soak them for 1/2 hour in water to soften and remove salt. I tried that once and found that it also removes a lot of TASTE. Not good, at least for me.

I love them left whole in recipes, but most people don't share my zeal. My wife picks them out of the dish if they're left whole, so I usually chop them fine before adding to the dish.

Michael

 
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