Recipes / International dishes / Braised Dishes

Fish in Black Bean Sauce, No Added Refined Sugar

Name: Fish in Black Bean Sauce, No Added Refined Sugar
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: China
Ingredients: 500g fish, 1 large or 2 small; 5 to 6 slices ginger; 2 to 4 fresh chilies, chopped; 2 to 3 white parts of spring onion; 2 tablespoons tau xi (fermented black beans); 300ml water; 1 tablespoon soy sauce; 1 tablespoon oyster sauce; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend; 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water; cooking oil for rubbing and frying the fish; spring onion to scatter over

International dishesBraised DishesChinaabout 45 minutes

Fish in black bean sauce is a plate with a strong Chinese character, the sweet flesh soaking up a salty sauce scented with fermented black beans and ginger. The difficulty is the frying, since fish taken a shade too far dries out during the simmer.

The fish is rubbed with a little oil before frying so it does not stick, and it comes out as soon as the surface turns golden. The ginger, chili and white parts of spring onion fry with the black beans for about 30 seconds before the water goes in.

This batch weighs about 1.1kg, at roughly 78 calories per 100g.

Nutrition (this recipe makes 4 servings)

85.9kcal

9.6gprotein

2.8gfat

0.4gsugar

The sweetness here comes from kOBE Monk Fruit Blend. There is no added refined sugar.

Estimated from raw ingredients; the real numbers shift a little depending on how you cook and what you buy.

This batch makes 4 servings. One fish of 500g simmered in black bean sauce divides into 4 portions.

Ingredients for the batch

500g fish, 1 large or 2 small
5 to 6 slices ginger
2 to 4 fresh chilies, chopped
2 to 3 white parts of spring onion
2 tablespoons tau xi (fermented black beans)
300ml water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
cooking oil for rubbing and frying the fish
spring onion to scatter over

Method

Rub the 500g of fish with salt or scrape it with a knife to clean off the slime, rinse it and drain. Score each side a few times, then rub the fish with a little cooking oil so it does not stick during frying.
Heat oil in a pan and fry the fish until the surface is golden. Do not fry it too long or the flesh dries out. Lift the fish out and pour off most of the oil, leaving a little in the pan.
Fry 5 to 6 slices of ginger, the chilies and 2 to 3 white parts of spring onion for about 30 seconds, add 2 tablespoons of tau xi and fry for another 30 seconds.
Pour in 300ml of water with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, bring it to a boil, then slide the fish in and spoon the sauce over it continuously.
Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 to 30 minutes, turning the fish occasionally.
Taste and adjust the seasoning, mix 1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water and pour it slowly into the pan, stirring gently. After about 3 minutes turn off the heat and scatter spring onion over the top.

Tips

Rubbing the fish with a little oil before frying is a reliable trick against sticking.
Fermented black beans (tau xi) are sold at the Chinese seasoning stalls and are already salty, so keep a light hand with the salt.
Spooning sauce over the fish rather than turning it often keeps the flesh whole.
Mix the cornstarch with cold water and pour it in slowly, and the sauce thickens without lumps.
Chop the black beans finely before frying, since whole ones leave salty pockets on the fish.

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The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.

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