Ingredients _______________________________________
- 150 g dried board beans , peeled
- 0.3 g kit starter (you can buy it from Amazon)
- 800 g to 1000g fresh pepper
- 3 tbsp. minced ginger , optional
- 30 ml white spirit , or other hard liquor
- 250 ml cooled boiled water
- 50 g for beans +40g (for fresh peppers) salt
- 2 tbsp. fermented sticky rice
- oil as needed
- a Jar
spices :
- 2 star anises
- 3-4 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon red Sichuan peppercorn
- 1 small piece of Chinese cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 tsaoko
- 2 cardamons
Instructions ______________________________________
- Soak the beans overnight with enough water and then drain.
- Transfer the beans to a steamer and steam for 20-45 minutes until well cooked.
- After steaming, transfer the beans out immediately and spread to cool down.
- Then mix the starter with 3g flour.
- Spread the starter to the beans and massage with hands to make sure all the beans are loaded with it.
- Then flat them and cover with a wet clean cloth.
- Place on a baking cooling rack so there is air going through underneath and place in shadow place (try to avoid sunshine). Keep the temperature between 30 to 36 degree C and the air humidity around 80% (at least 70%) for 36 - 38 hrs or until the hair turns yellow.
- stop the fermentation via drying under sunshine for 24 hrs.
- Wash the beans under running water gently and drain. Then add 30ml Chinese white spirit, 250ml cooled boiled water and 50g salt.Mix well and fermented for 30 hours to 40 hours (covered).
- Wash the pepper and air dry for 5-10 hours. And then cut into small pieces. Add around 40g salt and set aside for 1 hour before mixing with the beans.
- Scoop the red peppers to the beans and discard the extra liquid at the bottom. Mix in spices, 50ml oil and 2 tablespoons of fermented sticky rice (you can skip this if hard to acquire). And transfer the mixture into the pot.
Notes __________________________________________
- In the first 7 days, place in warm place (under sunshine ) and uncover by day and half covered by night.
- Add oil to cover the doubanjiang (3-4 cm higher), cover the lid and place in warm place. Then we pass everything to time. Let it ferments for at least 3 months before enjoying. Use cleaned tool to scoop the sauce out and it can be kept for 2-3 years.
