On Aug 5, 9:34?pm, Julian Vrieslander
<julianvREMOVE_THIS_P...@mindspring.com> wrote:
> Cindy's infamous SO is here to add a couple of minor details and
> corrections. Since I did most of the cooking on this one, she might
> have missed or forgotten some things...
>
> > I'll paraphrase it. Take about 2 lb (1 kg) mussels. Scrub and debeard
> > them. Discard any "yawners". Soak 2 tbsp. fermented dried black beans
> > in some water to desalt them.
>
> I mashed the beans with a mortar and pestle and then added 2 tbsp. of
> boiling water, let them soak for a few minutes, until softened. Then I
> drained off most of the water and mashed them again.
>
> Note that salted and fermented black beans are not the same as the dried
> black beans used in American and Hispanic cooking. You can find them in
> most Chinese groceries or in large supermarkets that carry ethnic items.
>
> > Rinse, drain, and mash. Stir 2 tbsp. dry
> > sherry, 2 tbsp. mushroom soy sauce, 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp.
> > Asian (dark) sesame oil, 6 cloves garlic, minced, and about 1 tbsp.
> > fresh ginger, minced. Set this aside.
>
> It was 1 tbsp. dry sherry. And there was also 2 tsp. sugar.
>
> I mixed the above ingredients into the beans, and mashed it again to get
> it reasonably smooth.
>
> > Heat a little oil in a wok. Add
> > mussels; stir fry 2-3 minutes. Add a little water; cover and steam
> > until mussels open all the way.
>
> The recipe does not call for adding water. In fact, the mussels will
> lose a lot of their own water during the frying and steaming. I had to
> drain off some excess water to keep the sauce from getting diluted too
> much.
>
> > Take the black bean mixture and toss it
> > with the mussels until heated through. (The original recipe didn't call
> > for a thickener, but SO added some cornstarch-water paste to thicken it.)
>
> The recipe also calls for tossing in 4 sliced scallions, just before
> serving. We served the mussels over steamed rice.
>
> > The novel items in the recipe, based on our experience, are the mushroom
> > soy sauce and vinegar.
>
> We've tried several other recipes for black bean sauce. Another
> difference from those other versions is that this one calls for thorough
> mashing of the beans. The mashing allows more of the salt to be rinsed
> out of the beans, and the sauce has a smoother texture. The other
> recipes produced sauces that were gritty/lumpy and the saltiness
> dominated all the other flavors. This one had a nice balance of salty,
> sweet, and savory flavors.
>
> The book calls for 1 lb of mussels, for serving 2 to 3 people. But we
> usually buy 2 lbs, to allow for the dead ones that get tossed. The
> recipe can also be used with clams (which is how it is more commonly
> seen in Chinese restaurants).
>
> Really good stuff. If you get to Seattle, try the clams in black bean
> sauce at Hing Loon Seafood Restaurant, in the International District.
> That's the version that inspired our quest to duplicate this dish at
> home.

This sounds really good, but... I think served over a big bowl of
oriental noodle will do more justice to this dish than rice.