Bean Sauce

This thick, spicy, aromatic sauce is made from yellow beans, flour and salt fermented together. It is quite salty but adds a distinctive flavour to Chinese dishes and is frequently used in Hong Kong cookery. There are two forms: whole beans in a thick sauce; and mashed or puréed beans, also sold as crushed yellow bean sauce. I prefer the whole bean variety because it is slightly less salty and has a better texture. It keeps indefinitely in the refrigerator and can be found in Chinese shops.