Whereas asparagus shines with gentle spring-like flavors, it additionally carries larger and bolder seasonings extraordinarily nicely. Right here, tender asparagus is rapidly seared to unlock its juiciness after which tossed with a salty, spicy and funky Chinese language black bean sauce. Generally known as dou si (Cantonese) or dou chi (Mandarin), fermented black soy beans are made by inoculating cooked black soy beans with a mould much like koji (which is used to make miso paste), adopted by salting and drying them. Whereas they appear to be wrinkled and shriveled watermelon seeds, they’re intensely savory, with multidimensional umami that additionally hints at sweetness and bitterness. Whereas store-bought black bean sauce is a straightforward comfort, making your individual at house utilizing fermented black beans permits extra management over salt and spice ranges (see Tip). This sauce will rapidly turn out to be a weeknight workhorse, a fast technique to inject a savory kick to vegetable or meat stir-fries, stews like mapo tofu and even salad dressings.
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