Black bean sauce

It is commercially prepared and made from fermented soya beans, used to flavour many Asian dishes. Some varieties are thick and contain chopped beans; others are smooth and thin. The flavour is salty, spicy and strong, so use sparingly. Once opened, the bottle or jar should be sealed and stored in the fridge. If unavailable as a sauce, you could use plain salted black beans that are salted, spiced and fermented soya beans. These also have a strong, powerful flavour.