Asian Black Bean Sauce

A great multi-use recipe!

There is nothing better than a recipe that does double or triple duty.  To find a recipe that starts as one recipe and then becomes something very different by adding or subtracting just a few ingredients makes meal planning so much easier.  

In its original form it is a sauce for salmon, chicken, beef, or pork.  You can put it over rice, spaghetti squash, or steamed broccoli.  Add chicken or vegetable stock to it and it becomes a soup.  Take that soup and puree it, add some left over chicken and it becomes an Asian chili.  To take this recipe and turn it into a Mexican or Latin dish, leave out the ginger, soy sauce, and sesame oil and add in chipotle!  The possibilities are endless. My Asian Black Bean Sauce is one of my favorite multi-use recipes.  The ingredients are always part of my pantry supplies.  And, this recipe freezes well for later use.   I recently featured this recipe at a program I did for the North Reading Garden Club and it received great reviews!

Makes about 2 cups

2 tsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tbs of fresh ginger, minced
1 can of black beans (15 ounces), drained and rinsed (red kidney beans can be added or substituted)
1 cup low-sodium chicken stock or water
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
Pinch crushed red pepper
2 Tbs fresh cilantro, chopped
2 pieces of scallion, sliced thin on the diagonal.

1. Heat canola oil, garlic, and ginger in a saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring for 2 minutes (do not brown).  
   
2. Add the rinsed black beans, stock, sesame oil, soy sauce, and crushed red pepper. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.  Add more stock if you would like a saucier consistency.
   
3. Finish with fresh cilantro and sliced scallions.