Flavourful Ginger And Black Bean Noodles Recipe | A 5-Star Recipe | Quick And Easy

In the fascinating world of noodle recipes, this Ginger and Black Bean Noodles recipe is one that stands out. Spicy, delectable, and flavoursome, these Chinese black bean noodles are quickly tossed up in the Yummefy kitchen when we need something to perk up our palate.

Black Bean Noodles Recipe Ingredients:

To make our Black Bean Noodles recipe you will need oil, light soya sauce, ginger, onions, fresh red chillies, vegetable stock, vegetarian oyster sauce, egg noodles (or veg if you are vegetarian), and garlic. You will also require fermented black beans, Shaoxing rice wine, Chinese sesame oil, and salt for seasoning.

All you need to know about Chinese Noodles:

Noodles form an essential component of Chinese food. Chinese noodles come in various shapes and sizes. They also vary in the method of preparation as well as ingredients (wheat noodles, rice noodles, mung bean noodles) as you move from one Chinese province to the other. Noodles can be thin or thick, flat and wide, narrow, short or long. They can be served cold or hot. The preparation of noodles can vary too. They can be served boiled or stir-fried, with soup, or deep fried and topped with sauce - the possibilities are endless.

Before the advent of noodle making machines, Chinese noodles were made by hand and till date some noodles continue to be made by hand and are a novelty.

Noodles are available in their fresh form as well as dried form. Dried noodles have a greater shelf life.

Fun Fact: Did you know that the earliest written mention of noodles was traced to a book from the Eastern Han period (25 – 220 AD).

The Chinese love their noodles and they have shared their love of noodles with other Asian countries. The Japanese love their ramen and Udon Noodles and have a huge noodle tradition as well. Thailand has many versions of noodles including the famous Pad Thai noodles. Likewise, Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, and other Asian countries too have noodles as an intrinsic part of their cuisines.

Of course, there is also a hotly contested debate on whether Italian pasta evolved from noodles and if noodles were brought to Italy by Venetian explorer Marco Polo after his travels to China. Though this has now been debunked as an urban myth since pasta was eaten in Italy even before Marco Polo went to China.

What are black beans?

We are often asked - what are black beans and how do you eat black beans. Black beans eaten in Chinese cuisine are black soybeans or soybeans of the black variety. In China black beans are called Douchi or Tochi. They are often salted and fermented to make the fermented black beans we have uses in this black bean noodles Chinese recipe. They are widely popular in Chinese cuisine as a flavouring base and are added rinsed and chopped to flavour dishes. They are also readily available in jars as a readymade sauce across supermarkets, though we much prefer to buy the whole fermented beans available in packets.

How to make black bean noodles well?

We have used egg noodles in our black bean egg noodles recipe as they have a better texture (chew) and absorb flavour beautifully from the sauces. Egg Noodles are referred to as ‘Lo Mein’ or ‘Yao Mein’ in China and are prepared by boiling and then stir frying the noodles with vegetables, or meat, or both, along with various seasonings. You can use the eggless version of noodles in our ginger and black bean noodles recipe if you don’t eat eggs at all. If you are a non-vegetarian, you can also use regular oyster sauce rather than the vegetarian version.

We have used light soy sauce in the black bean noodles recipe as we want the ginger and black bean flavours to shine. Soya sauce is quite salty, so do not be tempted to add more salt than stated in the recipe.

Shaoxing rice wine imparts its unique flavour to the dishes it is used in and should not be skipped (unless unavailable of course). You can easily procure it from one of the bugger supermarkets or buy it online.

Chinese sesame oil is added towards the end of the recipe and doesn’t need to be cooked at all. Aromatic Chinese sesame oil is different from plain sesame oil and there is no substitute for it. It imparts its superb aroma and nutty flavour to the Chinese black bean noodles recipe.

Serving suggestions for Black Beans Noodles:

Ginger and Black Bean Noodles are best eaten on their own. Serve them hot from the wok. Garnish the noodles with sliced red chillies or spring onions if you like. The noodles can be served for lunch or dinner. Leftovers also make great breakfast or snack.

Another stir-fried version of noodles that we equally enjoy making is our version of Veg Hakka Noodles. And when the weather is cold, we like to make ourselves some comforting and flavoursome Soupy Chicken Noodles.

Get info on how to make Chinese Black Bean Noodles at home. Find the best recipe and step by step instructions to cook easy Black Bean Noodles here.

If you liked this recipe you may also want to try our:

Veg Fried Rice
Claypot Chicken Stew
Honey Chicken
American Chop Suey
Kung Pao Chicken
Sichuan Tofu

Or see all our Asian Recipes right here!