Bean Paste and Bean Sauces

Bean paste is a seasoning made from fermented soy beans. It is also possible to buy prepared bean paste sauces. Made with salted yellow or black beans, these sauces impart body, as well as flavour, to stir-fries and stews. Hoi sin sauce, for example, has a sweet, garlic flavour that’s deep and mysterious. Generally used in stir-fries and as a dipping sauce for Peking or Szechuan duck, it also makes a great sauce for oysters when mixed with sesame oil, sugar and soy sauce. My favourite variety is from Korea and is seasoned with chilli.