I was lucky enough to find one small jar of it at Big Lots a few months ago. The new asian cookbook I have has one recipe in particular in it that uses black bean sauce that is addictive it is so good. I cannot find bbs sauce at any of the stores around here but found a recipe online to make my own. My question is about the black beans. I have seen canned black beans at the stores here in town..will those work in this recipe?

Chinese Black Bean Sauce
Makes 2 1/2 cups sauce

Adapted from "Simply Ming" by Ming Tsai (Clarkson Potter, 2003, 272 pages), this recipe takes about 45 minutes to prepare, so make it ahead on the weekend as a base for super-quick dinners during the week. It will keep in the refrigerator for at least 2 weeks and makes more than enough for the two recipes, so you can cut it in half if you like.


INGREDIENTS:
1/3 cup fermented or Chinese black beans (see Note)

1 cup grape seed or canola oil

1/2 cup minced garlic, or about 1 head plus a few cloves (can be pureed in a food processor)

1/2 cup peeled and finely minced ginger

2 bunches scallions, white and green parts sliced 1/8 inch thick

1 tablespoon sambal oelek or hot pepper sauce

1/3 cup shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry

1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


INSTRUCTIONS:
Instructions: Soak the black beans in water for 15 minutes, drain and rinse, then drain again. Roughly chop, and set aside.

Heat a wok or large saute pan over high heat. Add 1/4 cup of the oil, swirl to coat, and add the black beans, garlic, ginger and scallions. Stir-fry until soft, 2-3 minutes.

Add sambal oelek and wine, decrease heat to medium and cook until reduced by three-quarters, 2-3 minutes. Add salt and pepper.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Put half of the mixture in a blender or food processor and puree on high speed while adding the remaining 3/4 cup oil.

Stir puree back into remaining mixture and allow to cool completely before placing in an air-tight container. Refrigerate until ready to use. (The oil probably will separate from the sauce.)

Note: Chinese black beans are soy beans that have been fermented and cured in salt, which turns them black. Asian grocers sell them in bags, cans or jars. They may also be found in the Asian section of some supermarkets.

Janie, the cans you see in the store are black turtle beans---used a lot in Carribean and Mexican cooking. But not the same thing at all.

The Chinese Black Beans are a fermented soy bean, and has a totally different taste and texture.

Sorry....

I would have a better chance of finding the sauce itself before finding those chinese black beans then. Bummer...

I finally made it to Ashland today.
I found two jars of black bean sauce at Big Lots for $1.50 each and I went to Kroger's and got two much larger jars there. Im good to go for a while now.
I found some wonderful extra virgin olive oil at BL's for $8 a bottle. Good Olive Oil is so wonderful especially when you have fresh veggies to go with.

Asian Black Bean Sauce

2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 tablespoons fermented black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

Heat a wok or heavy skillet over medium-high heat.

Add the oil, the black beans and garlic. Stir-fry about 12 seconds.

Add remaining ingredients and stir-fry about 1 minute or until sauce thickens.