[Sca-cooks] black beans

[Phil Troy/ G. Tacitus Adamantius]

Also sprach Stefan li Rous:
>Adamantius commented:
>
>>3. Beef with Peppers, in lieu of Iron Steak this year, probably in
>>the form of marinated short rib slices griddled on hot iron, tossed
>>with sweet red peppers (red is good for New Year's), onion fans, and
>>black-bean-flavored (_not_ frijoles negros, Stefan!!!) oyster sauce
>>gravy.
>
>You mean there are more than one type of black beans? Did all of these
>originate in the Americas?

These black beans are known in Cantonese as dow see; they're small
soybeans which may or may not start out as black, but are fermented
somehow (probably some kind of lactic fermentation, or a mold) in a
process somewhat similar to that used to make soy sauce. Anyway,
these are small black beans, soft enough to mash (maybe they're
cooked before fermenting), and commonly added to the pan when
stir-frying meats and such; among other things, they show up in spare
rib dishes, fish dishes, real lobster Cantonese and its cousin,
shrimp with lobster sauce, and a plethora of X with Black Bean Sauce
dishes.

There are also various black bean products, ranging from sweet black
bean paste to hoisin sauce, which I think are made from different
black beans than the salty, tangy dow see. I understand dow see are
soybeans, not sure what the other black beans are, but I have no
really strong evidence to assume they're New World.

Adamantius