Pixian Fermented Broad Bean

[jackal10]

Passing theough the local Chinese supermarket I impulse bought something labelled "Pixian Fermented Broad Bean". Is is a lovely woven bamboo container, but inside is a plastic bag of brown goo. It was about $4

Contents say Chili, Horsebean, Water, Flour, Salt

Directions: USe for sauted and braised ish and is indespensable as complementary seasoning.

Can anyone interpret please? What is a complementary seasoning?

I guess its szechuen cuisine, and the stuff is used like miso paste.

Is this correct?

What else does one do with it? Are there any traditional dishes?

How does it keep, once opened. Does it need to go in a jar in the fridge (I see its already past its sell by date).

It was with new year stuff - is it seasonal or associated with any special occaison?

Thanks...

[herbacidal]

Hmm, methinks this is the difference between an Egulleteer and a normal person.

A normal person looks at something in the grocery store they haven't eaten / seen before and thinks

"Hmm, I wonder what that is ? Eww, that looks gross."

An Egulleteer looks at something in the grocery store they haven't eaten / seen before and thinks

"Hmm, that looks interesting. I should buy it, take it home, and figure out what to make with it."

Edited January 22, 2005 by herbacidal (log)

[Yuki]

I guess complimentary seasoning would mean that it is usually used with other seasonings to bring a more flavour to the dish. Just like soya sauce, most of the time you would not want to make a dish with only bean paste(the taste would be too strong). Seems like your jar of bean paste came from a really famous bean paste producing region. It is commonly used in hot pot, stir fry, and especially some famous dishes like bean paste fish, mapo tofu, and the fatty pork(don't know its English name). The pork dish is made with fatty pork, fermentated pixian bean paste, sweet bean paste and young garlic shoot.

When I use the bean paste for stir dry, I usually fry it up in some oil with lots of garlic, chili, and a bit of sugar before adding in other ingredients. It is really god when stir fried with sliced up fish cakes and beans. Good luck with it!

[hzrt8w]

Contents say Chili, Horsebean, Water, Flour, Salt

Directions:  USe for sauted and braised ish and is indespensable as complementary seasoning.

Can anyone interpret please? What is a complementary seasoning?

You use it to cook szechuan or Northern style dishes. e.g. Ma Po tofu, braised fish with brown sauce, eggplants, cashew chicken, etc..

e.g. Braised Fish:

- Fry a whole fish with a bit of oil, sprinkle a bit of salt on top, brown on both side, remove.

- Add a bit of oil, saute some chopped garlic, a bit of sliced onion. Add 2 tsp bean paste (what you bought), 2 tsp hoisin sauce, a bit of salt (or skip if you don't like it too salty), stir... dash in 1 tsp white vinegar, 1/2 cup of chicken broth, 1/2 cup of water. Bring to a boil Add corn starch slurry to thicken sauce.

- Readd the fish. Cook for a few more minutes in sauce. Done. Transfer to the dinner plate and sprinkle some chopped green onion on top.

In Thai/Vietnamese cooking, they add some Thai basil. [in Chinse again] You can also add some sliced bamboo shoots and sliced brown (fried) tofu.

Some other dishes are similar. Using the chili bean paste (what you bought) with sweet bean paste or hoisin sauce (also sweet), along with garlic/onion/shallot/green-onion is a good combination for making a few dishes.

Don't use too much of chili bean paste in one setting. The paste is very salty by itself. But each brand is different. Just open the bag and taste the saltiness.

How does it keep, once opened. Does it need to go in a jar in the fridge (I see its already past its sell by date).

It was with new year stuff - is it seasonal or associated with any special occaison?

←

It is advisable to put it in a jar and keep it in the refrigerator. Not new year stuff. Just day to day.

Edited January 23, 2005 by hzrt8w (log)

[Qing]

"Pixian" is the best known place of make the Fermented broad Bean, or it also was called Sichuan Chilli Bean Paste.

The Bean paste is one of the most important ingridients in Sichuan kitchens. It is more flavorful than soy sauce, so you can see most of Sichuan foods are in red color and have very little of soy sauce.

An other brand of Chilli beans is called "Gang Shan Dou Ban", and it was made in Taiwan. After 1949, the Chinese Air Force moved to the "Gang Shan" base in Taiwan, and the wives of Sichuan soldiers started to make it, and sell it to get more cash. This brand has been introduced to US market for over 20 years, the taste is fine, but it could be more expensive.

For commercial use, the Sichuan restaurants order Bean paste from "United Food" in NJ. Their products also great.

[Dejah]

There is a mention of this bean paste in the Char Sui Bao cook-off thread in the COOKING FORUM. Check the last post by jackal10.

OMG! I'm losing it!

Of course it was mentioned by jackal10....I forgot it was jackal who made the query!

It must be the leftover alcoholic fumes from daughter's party lasy night.

Edited January 24, 2005 by Dejah (log)

[yimay]

mmmm, broad bean paste is the best. yes, you should use it in ma po tofu and spicy sichuan style dishes. as mentioned you do want to "bao" or fry it for a bit in a pan in some hot oil with the soy sauce, garlic, sugar, wine to release some of the hidden flavors. my mom cooks everything with broad bean paste, but i've never had that kind. it looks awesome.

my favorite dish using broad bean paste is steamed pork ribs with rice powder. i have a post and recipe on my site <a href="http://www.holyshitake.com/archives/2004/11/steamed_ribs_in_rice_powder_with_sweet_potato.html">here</a>.

you should probably transfer it to a lidded jar and then keep it in the fridge. it should last indefinitely, what with all the salt and fermentation in it.

[yimay]

i'd also like to add that a lot of bean pastes that say "broad beans" on it aren't really made from broad beans. the true, really good broad bean paste should have whole or half beans in them about the size of regular (not baby) lima beans. i've come across many "broad bean" chile pastes that just have soy beans in them, which are smaller, rounder and not as tasty. check the bean size!

[hzrt8w]

There is a mention of this bean paste in the Char Sui Bao cook-off thread in the COOKING FORUM.  Check the last post by jackal10.

←

Not all bean pastes are created equal. There are plain bean pastes. And there are chili bean pastes. What's shown in the picture is chili bean paste. The taste is a bit on the hot side. Not to be used in most Cantonese cooking.

[hzrt8w]

The Bean paste is one of the most important ingridients in Sichuan kitchens. It is more flavorful than soy sauce, so you can see most of Sichuan foods are in red color and have very little of soy sauce.

←

You are the one who said unlike French cooking which has 5 basic sauces, in Chinese cooking there is only one basic sauce - soy sauce. What happened to that theory?

2.There are 5 basic sauces in French cooking, but only one for Chinese--- Soy Sauce. If you want make your dish real Chinese, you can’t do it without Say sauce.

[TurtleMeng]

I started murmuring "Pixian" to myself 30 times and could not figure out what this was, then I realized there was a picture of it, which had the Chinese writing on it, thank God. Never realized bean paste is also referred as "broad bean". Ignorance.

Anything you use regular unspicy bean paste for you can add a little of that stuff to make it hot. I think it keeps for a long, long time, just kind of dries out but doesn't go bad because it's pretty salty. Might grow moldy...if you are like my family you can spoon off the mold and shrug

Edited January 24, 2005 by TurtleMeng (log)

[yimay]

i didn't mean to confuse. not all bean pastes are made from broad beans. most others are made from soybeans. i was just warning against chile bean paste labels that claim the ingredients to include broad beans, but really are just soybeans. i really like the chile bean pastes that are made from broad beans. i think the flavor is much better and my mom claims it makes your food taste more authentic.

Edited January 24, 2005 by yimay (log)

[Carlovski]

Lucky you! looks like you got the real deal. I usually make do with the Lee Kum Kee brand (Which is pretty good)

Basic use is to fry a few spoons in oil before sir frying meat/vegetables/tofu etc. It turns the oil deliciously red and fragrant (And Spicy!)

For plenty of ideas, and a fair bit of background I recommend readin Sichuan Cookery by Fuschia Dunlop. Good recipe for fish braised with the chilli bean paste.

I went through a phase of putting the stuff in virtually everything I cooked!

[jackal10]

Very many thanks to all for the helpful replies.

The stuff certainly has broad beans (and their skins) in it - definate texture

Its pretty powerful stuff, so a little goes a long way, but definately a useful addition in th hot sauce pantheon.

[JasonZ]

Great thread ...

So, since I live in Manhattan, any suggestions for where I can buy some and what the best brand is ... I can get to either Chinatown or Flushing Main Street very easily.

[MoGa]

Lucky you! looks like you got the real deal. I usually make do with the Lee Kum Kee brand (Which is pretty good)

I just found out about Doubanjiang thanks to the kindness of another egullet member and was wondering where to buy it in London.

You've helped enormously! I've found it on the Lee Kum Kee website

http://europe.lkk.com/consumer/product_det...sp?ProductID=31

Where it's called Toban Djan (this seems to be the best spelling to use for those of us in the UK)

Here's the recipe for spicy beansprouts using doubanjiang I was given

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...dpost&p=1560789

Edited April 25, 2008 by MoGa (log)

[liuzhou]

I usually make do with the Lee Kum Kee brand (Which is pretty good)

Nothing wrong with it. It is also the easiest to find in China, too.

[Gabriel Lewis]

It isn't equivalent to miso at all in terms of taste or usage, but miso/bean paste does make a very good analogy as a basic seasoning in Sichuanese cuisine. It adds a deep chilie/beany kick to a variety of sichuanese dishes. As someone mentioned, Fuschia Dunlops Land Of Plenty has a wealth of dishes using it.

I've had best results with bean paste similar to what jackal10 bought. Those labeled pixian, in a basket or wrapped in paper, and with only water/flour/salt/chilies/broad (fava or horse also) beans. I like to keep in in airtight pickle jar in my fridge.

In sichuanese cuisine, you virtually always fry the chilie bean paste in oil for 30ish seconds until the oil has taken a deep red color, and the paste is quite fragrant. It then can become the base flavoring for cold salads, stirfrys, braised dishes, steamed plates, and many other things. There is a sichuanese version of red braised beef that is basically the equivalent of boeuf bourguignon except with a lot of chilie bean paste, ginger, scallions, rice wine, a few spices, and white radish.

[DylanK]

川陴牌 is my brand. It comes in a cute little bucket with a handle and it's pungent as heck.

Best thing: cook 鸡蛋炒西红柿 (tomato n' egg) with it, add the bean paste right after the eggs get solid, right before you put the tomato in.

[fiore]

You are very lucky to have found a source of real Pixian chilli and broad (fava) bean paste! As other people have said, it is one of THE classic Sichuanese seasonings, and vital for making ma po dou fu, twice-cooked pork, fish braised in chilli bean sauce etc. You can also use it to make fish-fragrant or yu xiang sauces (my favourite is aubergines/eggplants) - although posher chefs often use pure pickled chilli paste (without the beans) in fish-fragrant dishes. Pixian is a county just outside Chengdu where there is a famous chilli bean paste factory. Some of the most discerning chefs prefer to get their chilli bean paste from small-scale artisan producers rather than the factory, though.

When I've run out of the real Pixian stuff, I use the Lee Kum Kee, which is very tasty but doesn't have the same mellowness, deep colour and rich flavour as the classic version. The Pixian stuff is matured so it is a darker red. The really mature stuff (which is exported to Japan) is such a deep purple it can look almost black.

The only thing to watch out for with the real Pixian stuff is that sometimes it is sold whole, i.e. with large pieces of bean and chilli in it. If the stuff you bought is like this, you need to put some on a chopping board and use a cleaver to chop it to a coarse paste before you cook with it. The Lee Kum Kee, of course, is already made into a paste.

To the person who was looking for it in London: sometimes you can find it in See Woo in Lisle Street in Chinatown, in the bamboo packaging as described. They stocked it for a while and then ran out, but I'm hoping they will get some more in! Also worth trying that shop on the corner of Newport Place, opposite the Jen Cafe, as they sometimes have it, but I think just in plastic packets rather than shelled in bamboo - but it's the same stuff.

Fuchsia Dunlop

[muichoi]

My problem with the real Pixian stuff is the quantity of MSG. Though maybe I'm just being unchinese. It's sometimes available at Wing Yip too. The LKK version seems to have changed for the worse recently.

[Fengyi]

I buy my Pixian sauce straight from the Sichuan Governmental Restaurant Store here in Beijing - it's lovely! It's not in a bamboo box and all pretty and that, but it's very good.

If any eGulleteers in the UK out there are interested, I can certainly bring some back for you on my next trip back to the UK- you may have to collect it (I can offer London or Cambridge!) if I run out of time to post (I'm coming back to write a couple of major wine exams then run up and down the country like a mad chicken for a couple of days).

However, it's no problem at all to slip some packages into my bags - I took three back to the UK last time for various friends anyway! There is about 300g in each pack and they last a while. It is the style with the whole broad beans in it.

Just pm me if you're interested (I'm going back to the UK in a month)!

[MoGa]

To the person who was looking for it in London: sometimes you can find it in See Woo in Lisle Street in Chinatown, in the bamboo packaging as described. They stocked it for a while and then ran out, but I'm hoping they will get some more in! Also worth trying that shop on the corner of Newport Place, opposite the Jen Cafe, as they sometimes have it, but I think just in plastic packets rather than shelled in bamboo - but it's the same stuff.

←

Thank you very much for this information, I'll keep looking.

This thread helped me avoid all the brands that offered Toban Djang without any broad beans listed in the ingredients, so we settled on the Lee Kum Kee version which at least featured some broad beans.

Although it smells appetising, the flavour lacked balance, it became more pronounced in the aftertaste whereas the initial impact of the sauce with every new mouthful was thin and reedy. It developed into something fuller and more satisfying only after several chews tasting best whilst you swallowed it. The sauce is also quite thin, much more watery than in the image above and nothing to match the intensity of colour.

I can't help but suspect that good douban jiang would yield its flavour more fully from the moment you put it in your mouth.

[MoGa]

I can't help but suspect that good douban jiang would yield its flavour more fully from the moment you put it in your mouth.

←

And it does, it really does!

I went to the store suggested by fiore and found the exact same Tai Wong douban jiang described by jackal10 (this thread's OP). Only difference is that the wicker container yielded two small pouches, very handy! (especially for sharing)

The LKK version isn't a patch on this one being more watery and having a much thinner, less developed and rich taste. The other element to the Lee Kum Kee chili bean sauce that makes it less satisfying is that it is so darn salty, so even if you mix a tablespoon through some fish or vegetables with some generous slugs of rice wine the result is way too salty for me to enjoy. Not so with the Tai Wong Pixian Broad Bean Paste. It's just better in every way.

This is already a favourite cooking 'sauce', and there's lots of uses we still need to find for it. The beansprout recipe has been an excellent start. Can't wait to try other genuine Sichuan versions of douban jiang.

----

Although I haven't tried it yet, once I started looking properly, I did find very small jars of Toban Djan amongst the condiments in stores specialising in Japanese food. It was quite expensive, especially given the quantity, but for anyone having trouble locating Sichuan douban jiang, I would imagine that this Japanese packaged sauce might be better than the LKK one.

[prasantrin]

Although I haven't tried it yet, once I started looking properly, I did find very small jars of Toban Djan amongst the condiments in stores specialising in Japanese food.  It was quite expensive, especially given the quantity, but for anyone having trouble locating Sichuan douban jiang, I would imagine that this Japanese packaged sauce might be better than the LKK one.

←

I find the Japanese ones to be less spicy, and less complex in flavour. Even the LKK version made for the Japanese market is not as good as the LKK one made for the Chinese? (Western? Non-Japanese, anyway) market. To me, anyway!