Pictorial: Chicken, Asparagus w/ Black Bean Sauce

[hzrt8w]

Pictorial Recipe

Stir-Fried Chicken and Asparagus with Black Bean Sauce (豉汁蘆筍炒鸡片)

Asparagus is not a vegetable used in traditional Chinese cooking, but it is a wonderful adaptation to traditional Chinese recipes such as stir-frying with chicken and black bean sauce.

Picture of the finished dish:

Serving Suggestion: 2 to 3

Preparations:

Main ingredients (from right, clockwise):

- 3 chicken breasts, about 1 1/4 lb

- Asparagus, about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lb

- Garlic, use 4-5 cloves

- (Not shown) Ginger, about 2-inch in length

- (Not shown) Fermented black beans, about 4-5 tsp

Trim fat off the chicken breasts. Cut into thick slices, about 1/4 inch thick.

Trim the tough ends off the asparagus and discard. Cut into roughly 2 inches in length diagonally.

Peel and mince about 4-5 cloves of garlic. Grate the ginger (use about 2-inch in length).

Slightly rinse about 4-5 tsp of fermented black beans in a small bowl.

Use the back of a metal spoon to smash the fermented black beans into a paste.

Add the minced garlic and grated ginger.

Press and stir the mixture into a paste.

Place the chicken slices in a mixing bowl. To marinate the chicken, add 1 tsp of ground white pepper, 2 tsp of light soy sauce, 1 tsp of corn starch, 1-2 tsp of oyster sauce, 1-2 tsp of ShaoHsing cooking wine, 1 tsp of sesame oil.

Mix well. Set aside for about 30 minutes before cooking.

Cooking Instructions:

Use a wok/pan, set stove at high temperature. Add 3-4 tblsp of frying oil, wait until oil gets hot. Velvet the chicken slices in oil. Remove the chicken when there is "no more pink color".

Continue cooking with the wok/pan. Add 2-3 tblsp of cooking oil. Heat for 30 seconds or so. Add the black bean, garlic, ginger paste. Add 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste).

Stir well. Fry the black bean paste for 20-30 seconds until the fragrance is released. Dash in 2 tsp of ShaoHsing cooking wine.

Add the asparagus. If you like this dish dry, add only 2 tblsp of chicken broth. If you want a saucy dish, add 1/4 cup of chicken broth. (Near the end add some corn starch slurry to thicken the sauce.)

Bring the mixture to a boil. Asparagus cooks rather fast. It takes only 2 to 3 minutes. Don't overcook.

Return the velveted chicken slices.

Stir well and cook for another minute or two. Dash in 1 to 2 tsp of dark soy sauce. Thicken the sauce with corn starch slurry if necessary. Finished. Transfer to a serving plate.

Picture of the finished dish.

(Note: The quantity of food made in this recipe is about twice the portion shown in this picture.)

[jo-mel]

Mmmmm -- if there is anything that can match the aroma of frying garlic, it is the combo of garlic and black beans!

I usually like to just coarsely cut the black beans rather than mash them. I like the feel of the bean piece. I don't suppose it would change the dish much if I did it that way -- in flavor, I mean.

Looks like a great dish. Altho, asparagus went to China late, it seems like a great vegetable for stir/frying, in that it cooks quickly and keeps its texture.

[liuzhou]

Asparagus is not a vegetable used in traditional Chinese cooking

It's used around these parts - Guangxi. It is freely available at this time of year.

Great recipe. Thanks!

Edited May 15, 2006 by liuzhou (log)

[BarbaraY]

One of my favorites, too. Love the flavor of black beans.

[superbadkitty]

Hi hzrt8w, this is great, thanks very much. I have a (hopefully not too silly) question re the black beans. How do you normally store it after you open the pack (in the fridge?) and how long would you normally keep it for...? Thanks in advance.

[liuzhou]

I have a (hopefully not too silly) question re the black beans. How do you normally store it after you open the pack (in the fridge?) and how long would you normally keep it for...?

Not a silly question at all. hzrt8w hasn't been around so much lately, so I've taken the liberty of answering.

The black beans are basically preserved in salt - a technique used for preservation long before refrigeration was available. I keep mine in a jar in the cupboard and I live in semi-tropical south China. They would probably last longer than me, if I didn't keep eating them!

[superbadkitty]

I have a (hopefully not too silly) question re the black beans. How do you normally store it after you open the pack (in the fridge?) and how long would you normally keep it for...?

Not a silly question at all. hzrt8w hasn't been around so much lately, so I've taken the liberty of answering.

The black beans are basically preserved in salt - a technique used for preservation long before refrigeration was available. I keep mine in a jar in the cupboard and I live in semi-tropical south China. They would probably last longer than me, if I didn't keep eating them!

Lol! (at "last longer than me"!) Thanks very much liuzhou

[hzrt8w]

Yeah... I only surface for air once in a while and go back to a deep dive.

Those fermented black beans dry out over time. Still edible but lost a good amount of the flavor. The best is to consume within a few months. I used to think I could keep cheese forever too, LOL.