Stir-fry Series (2) : Doubanjiang

Another easy stir-fry with 'Doubanjiang', also known as chilli bean sauce. I always have a bottle of 'Lee Kum Kee Chilli Bean Sauce' in my pantry. It is an extremely versatile sauce to use in stir-fries, just a spoonful of doubanjiang, some soy-sauce and sugar will give you a great savoury, sweet and spicy stir-fry dish. You can stir-fry anything with it, any meat, vegetables or seafood to your liking.

Recipe

Ingredients

• Protein such as pork belly, chicken, beef, tofu/bean curd etc

• Vegetables such as bell peppers, onions, aubergine/eggplant, spring onions etc

• 1 clove of garlic

• 1 teaspoon of fermented black beans

Seasonings

• 1 tablespoon of doubanjiang

• 1 teaspoon of light-soy sauce

• 1 teaspoon of sesame oil

• A pinch of sugar

• A pinch of white pepper

• Water

Instructions

1. Prepare protein and vegetables (I am using pork belly, medium-firm tofu and red bell peppers).

   1. Slice pork belly into thin strips and marinade with some oyster sauce, light-soy sauce, white pepper, sesame oil and corn starch. Set aside in the fridge.

   2. Rinse red bell pepper and cut into strips. Set aside.

   3. Pat fry tofu and slice into large squares. (would recommend large chunks rather than small dices as it is easier to get a nice char on each side). Set aside.

   4. Mince a clove of garlic.

   5. Rinse fermented black beans (to remove initial saltiness) and mince them.

2. Prepare seasonings. In a bowl, mix all seasonings (could add some water to dilute the mixture).

3. Heat up pan and drizzle some oil.

   1. Firstly, add in marinated pork belly. Stir-fry until meat is of a golden brown charred colour. Remove pork belly from pan.

   2. Next, stir-fry tofu to give a nice golden colour (let it fry on one side for a few minutes and flip over when the colour turns).

   3. Add in garlic, fermented black beans, spring onions and bell peppers.

   4. Add in seasonings. Stir-fry for a few minutes.

   5. Add back cooked pork belly. Stir well and turn off heat.

4. Serve with a hot bowl of rice.

There you have it, sweet, spicy, savoury, packed in one dish!