Name: Clarissa’s beef and black bean stir fry
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 Tbsp cornflour; 500g rump steak, thinly sliced; 3 Tbsp vegetable oil; 1 brown onion, roughly chopped; 150g snow peas, trimmed; 1/4 cup water; Steamed jasmine rice, to serve; Sliced red chilli (optional), to serve; Black bean sauce; 100g dried fermented Chinese black beans (see Cook’s Tips); 3 eschalots, peeled; 1 head of garlic or 8 cloves, peeled; 50g ginger, peeled, chopped; 2/3 cup vegetable or canola oil; 1 Tbsp dried chilli flakes (optional); 1/4 tsp five spice powder (optional); 1/4 cup water; 1 Tbsp Shaoxing wine (Chinese cooking wine); 2 Tbsp soy sauce; 2 Tbsp caster sugar; 1 tsp sesame oil

You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t tried beef and black bean sauce. Sure, you can buy it in a jar, but once you learn the very simple recipe for making your own sauce, you won’t be returning to the jar again!

The best part is the black bean sauce can be refrigerated for future use, which is handy because this will become one of your regulars.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp cornflour

500g rump steak, thinly sliced

3 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 brown onion, roughly chopped

150g snow peas, trimmed

1/4 cup water

Steamed jasmine rice, to serve

Sliced red chilli (optional), to serve

Black bean sauce

100g dried fermented Chinese black beans (see Cook’s Tips)

3 eschalots, peeled

1 head of garlic or 8 cloves, peeled

50g ginger, peeled, chopped

2/3 cup vegetable or canola oil

1 Tbsp dried chilli flakes (optional)

1/4 tsp five spice powder (optional)

1/4 cup water

1 Tbsp Shaoxing wine (Chinese cooking wine)

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp caster sugar

1 tsp sesame oil

Method

Step 1

To make black bean sauce, rinse beans in cold water. Drain. Coarsely chop, leaving some larger pieces (this gives the sauce texture).

Step 2

Put eschalot, garlic and ginger in a food processor, and pulse until mixture is finely chopped (don’t process to a paste).

Step 3

Heat vegetable oil in a wok over high heat. Add eschalot mixture and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes or until aromatic, being careful not to burn the mixture. Reduce heat to low.

Step 4

Stir in black beans. Add chilli and five spice powder, if using. Stir-fry for 5 seconds or until combined. (Beans absorb quite a lot of oil at this stage, but oil will be released when beans are cooked). Add water, Shaoxing, soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil to wok. Simmer, stirring constantly, for 6-8 minutes or until the water has almost evaporated.

Step 5

Combine 3 tablespoonfuls of prepared black bean sauce with the cornflour in a large bowl. Add beef to bowl and toss to coat. Set aside for 30 minutes to marinate.

Step 6

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in wok over high heat until smoking. Add onion and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add snow peas and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Transfer vegetables to a bowl.

Step 7

Heat remaining oil in wok over high heat until it is smoking. Add beef mixture and spread to cover base and side of wok. Cook, without stirring, for 1 minute or until beef is golden underneath, then stir-fry for 1 minute. Return vegetables to wok. Add water and stir-fry for a further 30 seconds or until hot.

Step 8

Serve stir-fry with steamed rice and chilli, if using.

beef and black bean stir fry with snap peas and chili on top in scalloped pink bowl

Cook’s tips

Look for dried fermented Chinese black beans at Asian grocers or the Asian food aisle of large supermarkets.
To avoid burning the sauce, stir it constantly and keep the heat low as you initially prepare it.
Refrigerate any leftover sauce in a sterilised jar for up to 1 month.

Clarissa Feildel Chef

As an accomplished cook, author and television presenter Clarissa Feildel has always had food at the heart of everything she does. Clarissa’s Nyonya/Chinese and Sri Lankan background has given her a melting pot of dishes in her repertoire, which she uses every day when feeding her family.