Hohoshi Chinese Douchi Yang Jiang Fermented Black Bean 3 LB (48 OZ) Premium Quality for Asian Dishes Value Pack

There are two types of black beans...those associated with Mexican and Caribbean cooking, and Asian black beans. The latter are actually fermented soybeans and add a wonderfully pungent, slightly bitter taste to stir fries and soups. These are hard to find, at least in the Great Plains. Even the Oriental food stores (mostly Vietnamese) sell the Mexican black beans instead. Go figure.These came packaged in dried form, which means the large quantity is no problem for longer-term storage. There is a fair amount of "chaff" in the bag, which is easily sorted out. I tried cooking with these by first soaking (to remove extra salt, which I do with frozen/wet packed versions) and also without soaking first. I would recommend soaking for about 10 minutes in warm water, draining and rinsing, and then using. Otherwise, there's a massive salt taste that overwhelms the rest. Otherwise, these worked great in my usual recipes. I would strongly recommend.

Excellent quality, packaging,use for some cantonese dishes