Stir-Fry Prawns in Black Bean Sauce

This is the savory, garlicky black bean prawn stir-fry you’d order at a Cantonese restaurant, made fast at home and packed with crisp vegetables. The flavor hinges on one thing: a pungent paste of fermented black beans mashed with garlic and ginger, the backbone of any real black bean sauce.

A stir-fry lives and dies by timing. The sturdier vegetables, onion, bok choy, red pepper and shiitake, go in first and cook fast over high heat, then the quicker-cooking napa cabbage and snow peas join so everything stays crisp-tender, never soggy.

The prawns go in last with the sauce, and they only need to cook until they turn pink. A minute too long and they toughen.

The sauce itself is a savory blend of miso and broth, rounded with honey and soy, then a little arrowroot turns it glossy and just thick enough to coat. Serve at once over rice.

Chef Tips

• Mash the fermented black beans with the garlic and ginger into a real paste. This releases their salty, funky flavor into the whole dish.
• Add the prawns last and pull the wok the moment they turn pink, so they stay plump and tender.
• Stir the arrowroot into cold water first, then add it at the end. It thickens fast and clear without lumps.

Variations

• Use chicken, tofu or scallops in place of the prawns.
• Vary the vegetables with broccoli, baby corn or water chestnuts.
• Add a splash of Shaoxing wine or a pinch of chili for more heat and depth.