black bean sauce

[torontomom]

Is there a brand of kosher black bean sauce ? I'm looking to make fish in (fermented) black bean sauce - asian style
thanks

[deejw]

We have a big supply (here in Los Angeles) of the fermented black beans that go into making black bean sauce and I've been dying to be able to buy and use them but can't find a Rabbi willing to give an affirmative opinion as to whether they are acceptable without a hechsher (because none have a hechsher). I feel pretty confident that they're OK but don't feel comfortable buying unless I'm told it's OK. Does anyone know a mashgiach who is knowledgeable about Asian ingredients. I asked our local (SF Valley) expert and he declined to opine.

[JRKyummy]

Everland Black Bean Sauce is available at Nature's Emporium in Newmarket, at the corner of Yonge and Mulock.

http://www.everlandnaturalfoods.com/e...

[deejw]

thanks - i think that's not close to Los Angeles since I don't recognize any of those street names but I'll look up the brand at least to see if it's sold around here.

[JRKyummy]

Sorry - I was giving the location for the OP who was in Toronto.

Newmarket is a town north of Toronto.

[shoelace]

theres one listed on the kosher depot list

http://www.kosherdepot.biz/about.html

[GilaB]

But it's sold by the gallon!

[shoelace]

if youre in queens/li/nyc id split it with you, and i bet other people would get in on it with us

theyre out on long island, ive never heard of the place, im more wondering if theyre still open

also some of these things dont need to be refrigerated, i have no clue about this, but if thats the case...

[ettilou]

I live in the 5 Towns and if this exists with reliable hashgocha, I'm in.....I'd even go buy it if we find out this place is still openAND Still selling it.

[shoelace]

if theyre still open, its on their most recent list, and its listed as ou pareve on the list,

im gonna call the # tomorrow and find out if they exist

[shoelace]

they're open, they still carry it

i just went through their product list, they have a huge number of things ive been searching for for years and they're list is searchable!

almost giddy with excitement, what a resource

[iris]

And the bulk dried mushrooms and frozen dumplings sound amazing. Buying club, anyone?

[shoelace]

im in to split dumplings with you

[cheesecake17]

100 dumplings would go pretty quickly in my house! If you end up buying the dumplings, I would love to know which type And if they're good.

[shoelace]

:-(

they are no longer carrying the black bean sauce, but they have a whole list of other stuff they are carrying that im curious about

[Chowbird]

I found this at http://asiarecipe.com/kosher.html:

>>Fermented Black Beans (Salted Black Beans)
>>These imported small black beans have been fermented and preserved in >>salt. I could not find any brand of fermented black beans with rabbinical >>approval, however I see no problem in them. They are an important spice in >>Chinese cooking and are a pure vegetable product sold packaged in Asian >>groceries. These beans are soft and chewy with a pungent aroma, and they >>add a delightful flavour to dishes cooked with minced garlic and fresh >>ginger and are especially good with stir fried beef or steamed fish. They >>can be stored indefinitely in the refrigerator in an airtight container.(Kosher >>without supervision but if there is one with supervision buy that one

)

FYI 1. I'm not Jewish and 2. I have no idea how reliable this website it, so please double-check before buying any black beans! It also might be possible to make your own via lactofermentation; I wonder if one could use frozen soybeans (edamame) to do this?

[koshergourmetmart]

They get their dried mushrooms from woodland foods

[iris]

Not sure how we can communicate/set this up/find each other's emails?

[koshergourmetmart]

A while back people posted about kosher depots being unreliable in terms of orders being shipped.

[shoelace]

this kosher depot is out on long island in wantagh, their shipments may not be reliable, but the guy i spoke to said that i can pick stuff up directly there

in terms of exchanging emails, i have no clue how or where were allowed to do that without getting the thread eliminated

[torontomom]

Thanks for your help everyone. I bought black bean sauce from Golden Chopsticks in Toronto and made tilapia in black bean sauce for dinner last night. It was delicious

[mamaleh]

Glad it worked out for you. Would love your recipe if it contains more ingredients than tilapia and black bean sauce ...

[koshergourmetmart]

is it shelf stable or refrigerated

[mamaleh]

I thought I posted this answer earlier today, but I guess it did not post. Sold in foam take-out containers. Not shelf stable.

[mamaleh]

Golden Chopsticks restaurant in Toronto (COR hashgacha) sells their own sauces, including black bean sauce. See http://www.goldenchopstick.ca/Menu.html

[torontomom]

thanks I'm going to try that

[ganeden]

Not sure whether one can find fermented black bean with a hechsher. I found black bean on the menu (I think it was chicken in lobster sauce) in a kosher restaurant in brooklyn many years ago- they were working under the assumption that it was kosher when from Taiwan. I bought some bags from them and shlepped them home to California. Later, when we were out, I asked a shaila, and was told they were acceptable. At that time, we purchased a bunch, and year later we still have 1 bag left. I'm afraid it would take another shaila to be able to purchase more, absent a decent hechsher. We had some chicken in black bean last week (without the bell pepper and egg drop which help make it "lobster sauce". The kids loved it, and I couldn't get enough, even though my wife used about half the amount she should have due to rationing.

[GilaB]

I've been looking for ages, and have yet to find it. Let me know if you see anything. I do have a fermented black bean and garlic sauce from Lee Kum Kee with an OU, but haven't found the straight up fermented black beans that aren't further processed.

[E7Victoria]

Is this still available with a hechsher? My husband bought a new jar without double-checking the OU on the label only to look and find NOTHING on the label when we went to use it today. It doesn't come up in OU's product database and isn't listed under the kosher products on the Lee Kum Kee website....

[GilaB]

No idea. I bought it over a year ago.