Chinese black bean sauce with sherry and garlic.
We love garlic in our family. There isn’t much in Myra’s or my repertoire that does not include garlic. James and I grow garlic in our backyard every year. Our favorite variety is called “Music,” which he loves, since he is a musician and a garlic lover.
The original recipe for Claudia’s called for 50 cloves of garlic and Mom was proud of that fact. She revised the recipe for only 25 cloves of garlic, which is the version you will see below. You must have patience when you make this recipe. You want the garlic to cook slowly and get soft. If the heat is too high, the garlic will burn and be bitter. Myra served this with fettuccine or brown rice. I think there are a lot more possibilities!
Another thing to note is that Chinese Black Beans are fermented black beans in salt (dòu chǐ in Mandarin or dau6si6 in Cantonese, 豆豉). The result is not a sauce or paste as most pastes are typically made with yellow soybeans. True Chinese black beans are individually-salted black beans that are slightly soft in texture, mostly dry, and still in a light coating of salt. I have found them in a jar and in a bag. Most likely, you will need to go to an Asian market to find them.
There is a mystery involved with this recipe—who was Claudia, and why was this recipe named after her??? I know she worked at the restaurant in the 90’s, but I don’t remember the rest of the story. Claudia, if you see this, send me a note!
If anyone else knows the answer to this mystery, or if you remember Claudia, please let me know so I can edit this recipe with the mystery solved!
Claudia’s Creation (created by Myra)
Equipment
- 1 food processor
- 1 medium sauce pan
- 1 spatula or spoon for stirring
- 1 container for storing sauce I use a quart jar
Ingredients
- 25 cloves garlic (average size, about 1 teaspoon each)
- 1/4 lb. margarine
- 1/2 cup Chinese fermented black beans
- 3/4 cup olive oil (use a lighter, yellow oil) divided
- 1/2 cup dry sherry
Instructions
- Process half the garlic until just uniform–not too fine. (4 or 5 pulses)
- Melt the margarine in the sauce pan and set the temperature to medium.
- Sauté the chopped garlic in the margarine for 3 or 4 minutes till it begins to soften. Keep stirring. Do NOT let it brown or burn, or it will be bitter! Turn off the heat and
- Process the remaining garlic (4 or 5 pulses) then add the salty beans and 1/2 cup of olive oil. Process to a paste. Add this to the sauce pan with the 1/2 cup of sherry. Simmer on medium-medium low while stirring for 4 -5 minutes.
- Let it cool. Add the 1/4 cup of olive oil and store in a jar or other container. When it is completely cool, mix it to combine. Keep in the refrigerator until use.
Notes
3 responses to “Claudia’s Creation (Created by Myra)”
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I worked with Claudia. She’s is an excellent artist. Her medium was oils when I knew her. We both lived over the restaurant.I always thought Claudia created tho dish. No one ever mentioned Myra doing so. It’s delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
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